[Aaron]

"Two men enter... one man leaves."

[PenultimateManStanding]

Major League Sports are Doomed!
Just read Kunstler's article for today and saw his point about how airline commuting for the atheletes and teams will soon go belly up. So true! Airline travel will probably be one of the first things to go by the wayside after TSHTF for just about everybody. If anything will bring the truth to America, this is it. Here in San Diego, the town is on the brink of bankrupcy and we have just built a brand spanking new baseball park. What timing.

[gego]

Non-local ammusement parks like DisenyWorld and Universal Studios Orlando are also very vunerable as they depend upon long distance travelers.

We live in Missouri and go to DisneyWorld about every four years for a weak long stay in Disney Hotels. Hope we can get in one or maybe two more trips with the grandchildren before the fantacy ends. At least Disney will be offering big discounts to attract what few last visitors will come.

I can remember as a child back in the mid 1950's going to the Grand Canyon, Messa Verde, and a few other western attractions with my parents. Then later I took my kids back in the early 1970's and the crowds were noticably bigger. Now this will unwind also and there will be a downside to a curve similar to Hubert's oil curve. The crowds will be smaller, except for the locals the devistation will be overwhelming since all tourist attractions are now geared for big oil peak crowds, not the old 1950's trickle.

[jato]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')ere in San Diego, the town is on the brink of bankrupcy

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jato', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')ere in San Diego, the town is on the brink of bankrupcy

[AlCzervik]

I had been thinking about this a lot lately, even before Kunstler's article. Not only will it cost a fortune to send these guys across the country, but you have to think that fans aren't going to be able to afford seats or the fuel to get to games, so that revenue stream will die. If corporations don't buy up those remaining seats or at least provide money for TV sponsorship, kiss pro sports goodbye.

Think about all the energy used to put on a pro or major college game: to make and ship all the equipment, to power the arena, to move and sell concessions and paraphernalia, and to get players and fans to the games. When you think about it, we really are entertaining ourselves to death. In that vein, NASCAR may be looked back at as the epitome of waste. Every week, 150,000 or so rednecks flock to a track to drink beer and watch guys burn fossil fuels turning left around a track all day.

Penultimate, Detroit is also deep in the red financially. Add in the fact that GM and Ford are near junk bond status, and this could conceivably be a ghost town in ten years.

[PenultimateManStanding]

I would think that the Padres and Tigers will feel the hurt before the Lions or Chargers. Those Baseball guys travel so much. (Damn, I sure would like to see a payback for '84. And gee, too bad they don't have a 'Bears' team in Detroit: Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My! Bet that's an old joke, sorry)

[ignorad]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'J')ust read Kunstler's article for today and saw his point about how airline commuting for the atheletes and teams will soon go belly up. So true! Airline travel will probably be one of the first things to go by the wayside after TSHTF for just about everybody. If anything will bring the truth to America, this is it. Here in San Diego, the town is on the brink of bankrupcy and we have just built a brand spanking new baseball park. What timing.

[MattSavinar]

The day the Red Sox manage to knock off the Yankees in the playoffs after being down three games to none, and then going on to win the World Series should tell you TEOTWAWKI is upon us.

If the White Sox get theirs in 2005, I'd expect full blown anarchy by 2006.

Matt

[PenultimateManStanding]

It does seem ominous, but boy was it ever sweet!

[savethehumans]

Bravo, Matt, bravo!!

[jesus_of_suburbia_old]

A White Sox World Series win would be worth the anarchy. The icing on the cake would be the end of any chance of a Cubs World Series win.

[PhilBiker]

Too many people like sports fort them to die altogether. My prediction is that we'll see more regional leagues which rely on rail transportation, then maybe the best of all get together for a nationwide championship somewhere. People really love sports and when the shit goes down really bad, they'll/we'll need diversions like this badly. Much like entertainment and sports continued during the Great Depression.

[DomusAlbion]

Major League sports with the inflated salaries that these guys are paid is an abomination.

I would welcome the days of the early 20th century where sports were more regional and they played for the love of the game.

[Trab]

I'm glad that my state legislature so far has resisted the blackmail attempts by some of our local pro teams to build them new stadiums. Both the Twins and the Vikings have been attempting to get the state to foot the bill for new stadiums for the last 5 years or so, even as the state has been cutting aid to schools and making up for budget shortfalls.

Sports of some sort will survive, but I'm thinking they will become more local, and less cash-intensive than they are now. Kind of like the old days when most pro atheletes held other jobs at the same time.

[big_rc]

Sorry folks but you guys are completely missing the boat on this one. Sports are the easily the best diversion that people have in our society and will be played just to keep people entertained and not thinking about $3/gal gas. When sports (especially college and pro football) have to be stopped due to travel costs, then it will really be time to head for the hills because all of that mis-directed anger and agression people express during those games will be expressed in some pretty scary ways. It's the same with football (soccer) in Europe. People would shit their pants if they didn't have something to look forward to and deliver them (even momentarily) from their humdrum existence.

[frankthetank]

I agree with baseball (wages, traveling) and possible basketball. Football will probably stick around for a while, considering they play fewer games. Hockey is already dead

I have to agree with sports being one of the ways to keep peoples minds off other topics.

I believe its also a way to start young kids thinking as a "team" and to take orders from the "coach".

Chomsky had some thoughts on this in one of his books i read.

[bruin]

Gas could go to $10 gallon and there will be no change in professional sports. Fuel costs are the least of their concerns. They'll get around just fine with expensive fuel.

[Riddick]

Awwww, too bad we're going to lose the prime opiate of the masses. These people get paid too much money; get too many perks; and too many peoples' lives revolve around this "occupation". Hear that sound?
Yep, it's the sound of my heart breaking.

Hopefully big time collegiate athletics is going to go down too. Actually, I should say "the semi-pro leagues". Don't believe me? Try hanging around Columbus, OH during the Ohio State football season. These goddam fans are crazy. When OSU won the national championship in football in 2002 I thought the whole damn city was going to burn to the ground.

Again, who says PO is a bad thing?

[PhilBiker]

So Riddick Sports should faile because you want it to? That's really insightful..... thanks.