The Big Story In Baseball for 2008
Posted by verywellthen on December 10, 2008
There were the exorcized Rays and Philly getting a belated championship. There were the Cubs looking like champions but (again) disappointing their increasingly demanding fans. There was Roger Clemens trying to extricate himself from the allegations of his personal trainer and Barry Bonds sitting the whole year. There was Pujols excellence and MannyBeingMannyInLA.
But the biggest story in baseball in 2008 is the biggest story in the nation in 2008 and one that is just beginning to unfold — the It-Might-Be-Great-Yet Depression.
I’m no economist, but I’ll play one on the internet and conjecture that baseball revenues are primarily tied to four things:
1)taxpayer subsidies, mostly in the form of all those new stadia, mostly financed through public bonds;
2) fans, either showing up at the gate or buying the cable and internet packages and licensed baseball;
3) uber-rich owners throwing money at their little trophy hobby (not technically revenue, but it can keep those salaries inflated),
4) corporations paying for the luxury suites and premium seating and advertising and naming rights.
Oddly, I think the revenue source that will dip the least will be the from the fans. Maybe I’m too big of a fan to objectively project my behavioral theory to apply to the casual fans or the family-of-five-on-a-sketchy salary fans, but I love the sport too much to look away.
Regardless, baseball is about to get a financial fastball — high and tight.
Very Well Then 
Nia Shanks said
Excellent point!