Fan in the Stands

Now that pro sports and certain elements of college sports have become subsidiaries to the entertainment and gambling industries, we might want to look at who has won and who has lost because of the transition. By far, the biggest losers are the fans who actually attend the events. Here we differentiate between fans at the game and consumers at the game.

Consumers go for the cheap thrills and big plays, but mostly so they can say that they were there in case something a little unusual happens. They are happy to be there, and for games the industry assigns the adjective "important", they will pay very high prices for a ticket. The industry provides outlets for scalped tickets nowadays, so a they are always available. If the game falls short of their expectations, the industry thoughtfully provides alternative entertainment, dot racing being my own personal favorite.

Fans, though, don't do so well. First off the demand created for tickets by the marketeers have driven their prices up much faster than the fans' ability to pay. And game times are changed on very short notice to accommodate the industry needs leaving the fan in the lurch at times. Schedules offer little help, they are managed to maximize television exposure. Football games are played every day of the week except Tuesday and Wednesday. Baseball starts earlier in the season and ends later which means a fan in Cleveland or Chicago may be watching while the temperature drops into he thirties.

At the stadium, fans are poorly treated. They are a captive audience, so food and drink are very costly. Their movement is restricted. Rest room lines are long, particularly womens'. The action on the field is stilted and filled with unnecessary delays to accommodate commercials.

The big winners are the athletes, the sports books, and of course television. People actually at the game, whether fans or consumers, essentially play the role of extras at a large entertainment event. The odd thing is they pay, often exorbitant prices for the privilege. Fans need to organize for a better deal.