Posted By:
Paul SAbout 15-20 or so years ago I read an article in Esquire -- by Ken Kesey and, I think, Robert Stone (yes, them of the Beat Generation) -- that the Dodgers moving to Los Angeles was tantamount to telling the not only loyal Dodger fans but the American people, "Nothing you will ever do is more important than money." Certainly this has come to pass in baseball, let alone most major sports...I won't tackle the larger issues. I love baseball, but pretty my interest in it has waned in certain ways -- all of them pretty much due to the economics. expansion, diluted talent pool, ticket prices, owners and players arguing, et al. Certainly it has always been a business but for me it begins to collapse under its own ponderous weight.
My 11-year-old has an interesting take on fandom. He doesn't care too much for baseball, but that's understandable for his generation. He gloms onto certain players rather than teams. For instance, he's a big Kevin Garnett fan, and hence (was) a Timberwolves fan. But since KGs been traded to Boston he's now a Celtic fan. (And me a Knick fan!) He's like this with several different players in several different sports. Under the light of the way sports is these days, maybe he's ahead of his time, or at least got it right. Can't say I blame him.