Column “Strike three, we’re out” describes:
… “In 2010, The Associated Press reported that the Pirates had made $29.4 million in 2007 and 2008 despite finishing dead last in the National League’s Central Division both years. From the comparably small number of die-hard fans who continue to spin the turnstiles, to merchandise sales, to revenue sharing, Nutting’s team is doing fine. Off the field, that is.
“But baseball is a business. Isn’t the point of business to make money? Why would fans of this team, or any team, in any sport, think the owner has any obligation beyond his own bottom line?
“This is just a slight variation on the national discussion we’ve been having ever since Occupy Wall Street hit the pavement last fall. What is the obligation of the wealthiest Americans to their community, to their nation?…”
WATCHDOG: Associate Editor and columnist Gill Smart uses a folksy sports approach to lure us halfway through the column and then dumps a ton of reality bricks on our heads, forcing us to focus on what he accurately refers to as the “transnational elite 0.1%” and their disconnect with the issues and problems of the rest of the nation. We hasten to add not all of them are this way.
Three wags of the tail, which is our way of saying brilliant!
