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St. Paul E-Democracy Discussion about
DISTRICT COUNCILS IN ST. PAUL
Brewery Cafe - 945 W 7th - April 14th - 7-9 PM
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The key in all of these things is that it is relative. The real question
is one of competitiveness, and whether or not a team can go elsewhere and
get a better deal.
When everything was growing, especially in the South, the demand for major
league teams increased. Demand exceeded supply, and the value of these
teams increased. Part of that increase in value were the additional
revenue streams provided by once small towns eager to prove their worth.
Market forces are a difficult thing, especially when they work over a
really long haul like this. FOr example, the market for good pitchers
went through the roof as a result of the expansion that inevitably
followed. Strange effects could be felt all the way through sports
establishements, all the way to NCAA.
Now that the Devil Rays are clearly struggling, and the Expos have yet to
find a home, it seems really clear that the temporary bubble created by
all of the new metropolitan areas is over. I would agree that the era of
very large subisdy, which in the case of baseball really started with New
Comisky, is over. Will it go to zero? I sure hope so, but it hasn't
quite yet. If the Devil Rays keep struggling in vain, the Boston Braves
of today, there's hope.
Of course, this whole thing has everything to do with the expansion of our
nation southward, which also caused the Republican rise. And, in the end,
it's all about the development of air conditioning. Nothing more, really.
Air conditioning really screwed things up. How is that for market
forces?
Erik Hare
West End
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