Saturday, December 1, 2007

The Cost($) of Entertainment

The Cost($) of Entertainment: With the salaries of professional athletes approaching astronomical levels, it makes me ponder what can be done to rectify the gross inequities associated with the entertainment industry. First of all, we need to recognize that those of us who purchase any sort of cable package contribute to the augmentation of professional athletes' salaries. In purchasing such cable packages, we are effectively giving the cable corporations the financial power to wield prime time contracts with both college and professional sports teams. And it is primarily these large television contracts that pay for the high salaries of professional athletes. But what would we do without cable t.v.? Good question! Prior to the late 1970s, people somehow survived with less than ten channels. Aside from the role that cable television plays in the growth of salaries, sports like Major League Baseball do a terrible job at balancing revenues and leveling payrolls. Teams with rich owners in large markets have a clear advantage over small market teams. And since there is no salary cap to provide some stability in the turbulent baseball market, it becomes difficult for fans of a team like the Kansas City Royals to maintain a positive outlook.