Fools for fans.

• Author: Barrett, Wayne M.

IT'S TIME for fans to let go of the notion that access to live sports events is some God-given right. Sports is a luxury item paid for with discretionary income. Athletic events belong to the individuals who play the games and the owners who pay them to do so. True, the fans are the moronic suckers who provide the gold that all the well-publicized greed is about, but then, whose fault is that?

Whenever there is a sports strike (see major league baseball) or lockout (see the National Hockey League), fans inevitably go into their patented I'm-so-disgusted rant and rave, where they trash the money-grubbing motives of both the owners and players and vow never to attend any more games. Moreover, they swear, it's time to cancel their subscriptions to those sports channels on cable. "I'll be darned if I'm going to help line the pockets of those selfish so-and-so's by paying for sports on TV," goes the fans' rallying cry. However, all this brave rhetoric ever amounts to is a lot of empty threats and hot air. Once the strike/lockout season is resumed, all the anger dissipates. The stadiums and arenas are full. Television ratings go through the roof. And as if sports didn't have enough booming business, the merchandizing of team and league logos on clothing and various souvenir items now is a multibillion-dollar enterprise. For example, in the two hours prior to Game 1 of the 1994 Stanley Cup finals at Madison Square Garden, the sporting goods store adjacent to the arena sold 100 New York Ranger jerseys at $175 each.

Come summer, the National Pastime figures are even more staggering. Just figure it out. The baseball owners get half the merchandizing profit; the other half is divided equally among the players, managers, and coaches. There are 28 teams of 25 players apiece. Each club has a manager and five or six coaches. They take home approximately $65,000 apiece from annual merchandizing sales. This profit margin doesn't even include what the various department and sporting goods stores that sell these items are making.

Unhappy fans? Maybe overseas, but certainly not here in North America. Or if they are, they sure have a funny way of showing it. For instance, most fans (and owners) angrily spew forth the myth that athletes' escalating salaries are responsible for rising ticket prices. Untrue! The sale of sports tickets is like any other consumer good. The idea is to maximize revenue by charging whatever a particular good or service will command...