Happy Monday and a nice, relaxing weekend gave me time to ponder a problem in America that is hiding right out in the open. That problem is greed.
If you've been exposed to my blather for any period of time, you've likely heard my speech on the subject. It goes something like this:
I simply don't understand greed. What is the difference between having $250 million or $350 million (and my God, $1 billion or $2 billion), and why the need to damage society and its institutions to have even more?
Today, I will use the sporting world to reflect living, breathing examples of greed.
In all cases, treasured institutions are being screwed with, and in most, society is taking a hit by subsidizing the profligacy of the already-rich via tax breaks and/or publicly-financed stadiums.
All so people with crazy-town money today can have twice as much tomorrow?
GOLF: The PGA and LIV Golf Pro golf isn't big enough to support two different "leagues." The Saudis knew this when they started LIV Golf, a sham of a tour, where only 54 holes are played, and everyone gets a trophy (and a big check). They threw real money around to attract some of the PGA's stars to their nascent league, and succeeded.
Because, shocker, people like Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and especially Shil Mickelson and Beg Norman are greedy fucks, who, after building generational wealth from the PGA tour and its sponsors, opted to take even more from the KSA. And assist in their sportswashing.
And so what if professional competitive golf and its century of tradition is wrecked in the meantime?
COLLEGE FOOTBALL & BASKETBALL: Name/Image/Likeness and the Transfer Portal I've written about this before, so I won't belabor that money is on the verge of completely ruining big-time college sports. While I agree, given the money they generate, the players in many cases should be compensated, the greed of everyone else involved means the way it's been allowed to go down has rendered meaningless the spirit of amateur, collegiate competition. You know, stuff that used to matter.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL & BASKETBALL: Conference Consolidation If you don't remember the storied rivalry between New Jersey's Rutgers and California's UCLA college sports teams, that's fine. Because there never has been one. But no matter, because here's the gist of the inside convo:
Look, live sports are about the only thing that draws eyeballs at scale nowadays, so if we have to ruin regional traditions that span generations to get the big TV contracts, so be it.
So goodbye Pac 10, hello . . . I guess there are two conferences now? Does it even matter anymore?
COLLEGE FOOTBALL & BASKETBALL: Playoff and March Madness Expansion It's all about the student-athletes, or so the NCAA always tells us. Likewise: It's all about the education of our student-athletes, the university athletic directors say.
Yet they toss that directly out of the proverbial classroom window when the time comes to make more money from what are already gushers of cash for everyone involved, that being the football and basketball national championship tournaments. Football is bloating to 12 teams and there's talk of going to 72 or more (up from 64) in basketball. Again, the conversation:
So the kids miss a few more classes - imagine the revenue streams!
NFL: Player Safety If you listen to any NFL owner, executive, or operative, they'll emphasize just how very important player safety is. But I can summarize decades of their bullshit on the subject with: Europe. South America. And 18. Allow me to explain.
The first two reflect the NFL is all too happy to expand their market by playing games in Europe, and this season, South America, as well. I'm sure that travel does wonders for the players, but so what? The sport's hated commissioner, Roger Goodell, wants more:
He went as far as saying he expects a full schedule of “at least” 16 international games per season within the next decade.
Folks, these aren't typical business trips, unless yours typically involve getting your ass kicked.
And 18? That's the looming increase to EIGHTEEN games in the regular NFL season, up from 14 when I was a kid.
Indeed, Goodell is already pimping it, and what's more disgusting than usual is that he's couching it as being what the fans want.
I don’t think we need three preseason games. I don’t buy it, and I don’t think the fans like it either . . . I’d rather replace a preseason game with a regular-season game any day.
I am sure you would, Roger.
NFL: Criminal Behavior We will not accept it says the NFL. Well, unless you're Ray Lewis. And so many other bad people that should be nowhere near professional sports after abusing women, some multiple times. But, hey, what's a murder when his Q score is so high, or wife-beating when he's so good over the middle?
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: Oakland Sacramento Las Vegas A's (Or: What says baseball like the Vegas Strip?) The greed of John Fisher (to whom I have a crazy connection!), the owner of the formerly Oakland A's baseball team, is matched only by his incompetence. The story is too sordid to review in full, but suffice to say his plan (blessed by all of MLB's other team owners) for moving the A's to a new stadium in Las Vegas is . . . not a plan.
And of course, the whole thing is predicated upon some $500 million in public funding for the new stadium - to be built on that veritable Field of Dreams above. For a team owner worth billions. And that's after holding Oakland (and San Jose) hostage for years vs. simply building a stadium with private funds, as the Giants and Warriors did.
Which turned out pretty good for both teams. Maybe there's a lesson here?
Is it that greed is not good? Have a great week and 6 months from tomorrow is the 2024 General Election.
FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES
Thank you for reading this newsletter.
KLUF
Ideal. This is another find from The Outside Lands lineup, and its title is also perfect for today's topic. Here is BALTHVS and their soothingly chill (and Khruangbin-like!) Cause & Effect.
