The University of Florida has already begun the expansion of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to satisfy the wants of its deep-pocketed fans. This is, again, thanks to Corporate America, who has changed the Smallville 500 to the ACME 500. Every regular PGA Tour event has a corporate name attached to for a hefty paycheck. Ditto for the pro tennis tour. All big-time sports are, of course, run by television.
Television is run by Corporate America.
Many of us have spent the last two decades cheering for our teams and athletic heroes while complaining about soaring ticket prices and outrageous salaries. Now we must ask many about what the future holds. The boom in the number of professional sports franchises will certainly stoop. A more subtle change will be who we view as our heroes. Suddenly, the firefighter is more revered than the hard-hitting linebacker.