Let’s start with what may seem a nitpick. The NFL could never be accurately described as socialist, because socialism is state control of the means of production, and the NFL is not a state. Maher’s specific claim is that the NFL is socialist, and its socialism is why it works. If we care at all about the actual meaning of words, his claim is dead on arrival. But that’s the boring argument.
Maher fails to address the single most relevant factor in the NFL’s business model – motive. Why does the NFL share revenue between teams, make the Super Bowl champions pick last in the next draft, and otherwise take measures to ensure competitiveness throughout the league? It does so in order to craft an exciting product which it then takes to a free market to sell. The NFL’s business model is not in place to fulfill some ideological compulsion, to be “fair” for fairness’s sake. The NFL shares revenue to maximize profit! The NFL is a business which operates within an economy, not an economy in and of itself. The reason its business model works is because it meets a discretionary demand in the market.
Maher makes some good points but I don't think this is a political post. It sounds more economical. Maher is wrong about the Super Bowl. Even with baseball's payroll disparity the World Series has had more of a mixture of teams playing than the Super Bowl.
ReplyDelete