Jackie - a couple of thoughts on the whole pro sports thing.

1) I can't imagine the amount of goods/revenue/jobs/etc. that are created by pro sports. Take away 28 professional football teams and from Pepsi Cup manufacturers to Russell Athletics to janitorial services to ticket sellers to you name it......thats a lot of jobs, tax dollars and manufacturing support that's lost!

2) Pro sports is just part of the entertainment business. Hyla mentions movies....how about the rock bands on down to David Copperfield and the Boston Pops?? How much is paid to see them perform? How much do they bring in and contribute in jobs/tax dollars/etc.?? How much did the facility cost where they perform? I don't know if this is really comparing apples to apples, but I guess my point is that if you are entertainment and the market will support you, what's wrong with it? How much would you pay to see Bob Hope or George Burns? $100 a ticket? What jobs is he creating?? Don't they make millions and millions a year??

3) Pro sports IS a real job. These guys have exceptional talent in a business that demands their talent. Is being a garbage man a real job? Doesn't demand any talent, no discernable job skills, no education.....is it 'real'? These people are away from their families, they train, they learn, they perform or get let go, just like the rest of us with 'real' jobs. We don't get multimillions, but we also work for more than the average 3-5 yr (Football) or maybe 7-9 yrs (Baseball), don't worry about breaking bones or being knocked unconscious, and don't get booed, get threatening phone calls if we do a bad job, and can't get traded all over the country.

4) $$ into programs is not always the answer. Look at inner-city public schools. Typically the highest $$/student and we all know the result. People have to be committed to making themselves better and throwing money isn't the trick. The numbers of people that have gone off welfare since our gov't STOPPED paying them to sit and home and STARTED paying them only if they worked a little, attended training, etc. is evidence to that.

Sorry to disagree with you here Jackie (and yes, I'm a huge sports fan), but I think you're off-base (pun intended) here.