Political Quotes

“this month a little drama is being acted out in New York City and the venue is Yankee Stadium. What should have been the glorious 75th anniversary of ``the house that Ruth built'' may in fact see the end of a tradition unless New York City comes up with perhaps as much as $1 billion. This is another example of professional sports, instead of being a source of civic pride, are to be often a symbol of what people do not like. The players now are the television networks, major corporate sponsors, athletic equipment and apparel giants. The fans appear to be almost an afterthought. This trend, some would suggest, started about 40 years ago when the Brooklyn Dodgers tore the heart out of that community by moving a very profitable franchise to the West Coast in pursuit of greener pastures. It continues today. I have heard from fans all over America: Houston, Chicago, Sacramento. New York is just simply the most recent and perhaps the most egregious example. And of course it has come full circle because recently the Dodgers were sold again, this time to Rupert Murdoch, and the trend is growing. Over 50 million people live in and around communities with sports teams which have recently moved or are threatening to relocate. The change of focus away from the fans has become more acute as these leagues have upped the ante. Between now and the year 2006, more than $7 billion will be spent on new stadiums, most of which will be public money.”