The Politics of Sports Business 2018: Politicians, Business Leaders, Decision Makers, And Policy

Sports is a big business. It features international products and depends on the public to operate. In the United States, sports owners and organizers need three things. Government, TV money and corporate support. Federal, state and local governments provide owners with tax breaks, tax incentives and in some cases cash hand outs to bring a sports franchise to town with the understanding the business is an economic generator. But the truth is something else. It is an economic generator for an owner, for athletes and maybe a parking lot attendant or two. Non sports fans pick up the tab for what a minority enjoy, watching an expensive sporting event in person in a state of the art facility. In the United States, there is not a sports ministry as there are in other countries, so it is a patchwork of governments that provide the backbone for an owner to build a sports organization. Most sports fans are consumed with a game, sports owners are consumed with a business opportunity and have found politicians to help them.