I see that the U.S. Justice Department indicted most of the FIFA ruling class for racketeering, extortion and unsportsmanlike conduct and had a lot of them arrested in Switzerland today. I can only wonder how long before they go after the International Olympic Committee for exactly the same crimes committed over the decades since the modern Olympics returned after World War II.
When you look at sports in this country it is pretty clear that just about every aspect of sports governance is contrary to the laws of this country. Everything from getting the citizens of a given locality to pony up the money to build sports stadiums they cannot use themselves to the rules governing the free agency of players to play for any team that will have them seems to violate the rights of the citizen.
How exactly did San Diegans end up on the hook for selling ALL the seats to Charger home games? How is it that if seats went unsold to the public, San Diego local government was compelled to buy those seats? Why, even when that happened were games blacked out on local TV if the stadium didn't sell out?
I don't have any problem with people supporting the local team and paying big bucks to park there, bigger bucks for tickets to the game and big bucks for the pathetic food and drink offerings available from the concessionaires that 'bought' the right to compel you to buy whatever they sell you at whatever markup they think they can get away with but I don't think I should have to pay to support the local team because somehow my local government put me on the hook to build some billionaire or consortium of billionaires a "free" stadium which also lets them pocket ALL of the money.
So yes Justice Department, when are you going to go after the NFL and Major League Baseball and the NBA? And what is you plan of action with regard to NCAA ball which gets away with exploiting talent without any pay whatsoever?
On the other hand, Justice appears uninterested in the pay for play access that Congressmen now demand as the price for listening to a constituent or interested party who wants legislative relief or action because we all know that the "donations" to the campaign are nothing more nor less than bribes.
4 comments:
There is some uproar here in the Northeast regarding Boston's Olympic bid for 2024. The number of crooked politicians lining up to support it is, to any thinking man, expected. Why wouldn't these bastards line up for graft, bribes and kickbacks.
I'm to the point where I'd like to see professional sports abolished. I think it's that bad.
Well. Yanno I've got to wonder why the FBI is all of a sudden all that interested in FIFA --or IOC etc. Most Americans could care less. I mean, it's not as if there weren't more obvious--and egregious corruption scandals to investigate. Hint: IRS, Clinton Foundation. Nothing to see here folks, just move along, right?
The IOC thieves are second only to the contractors and politicians who line their pockets with the no bid construction projects required to host the Olympic Games. I was brushed with the Greek Olympics back when I worked for SAIC and it was ugly beyond belief.
I'm OK with pro sports. That doesn't mean I'd pay to go to the games although we do talk about catching some of the local farm teams here in MetroParkCentralis but they're cheap and fun.
I enjoy watching college games but cannot abide the NCAA hierarchy. That's just so wrong.
Just so. It's all deflection. "Look! Over there! Shiny!"
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