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We've only just begun
Write this down: the golden era of American sports is done. Finished. Kaput. Over. The poobahs of baseball have run out of towns, run out of taxpayers, run out of sad sacks willing to subsidize fat-cat athletic industrialists and their groups of child millionaires playing games. Two major-league teams are going to fold in the near future and the entire business of pro sport is going to be spindled and mutilated because this is only the beginning, bunky. Baseball's "contraction" is the first fat vulture sitting on what has been an unprecedented era of growth and success. More are going to follow. For over 100 years in baseball -- since the last four-team contraction in 1899 -- the sport has been able to stripmine the landscape. Having a little economic problem where you live? Hey, just pack up the bats and balls and the utility infielders and set up shop in another town. New fans. New capital. Forget the old fans and the old capital. This basic bump-and-run strategy has been successfully followed by the other three major sports. The St. Louis Hawks became the Atlanta Hawks and the Baltimore Colts became the Indianapolis Colts and the Hartford Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes. There always were some folk somewhere who wanted to hear the words "major league" attached to their city. Well, check the map. The list of available cities has disappeared. Check the pockets of the potential consumers. The fat and easy cash has disappeared. The great beast is going to have to burp once, tighten its belt like everyone else, and figure out a balance sheet. The free lunch is finished. Leigh Montville's commentaries appear regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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