Super Bowl Sunday, that uniquely American event, is upon us again. Friends and family will gather around the television on Sunday to absorb the game, the advertisements, some unhealthy food and probably more than one drink. About 110 million Americans will undertake this annual ritual. Roads and stores will be deserted.
America loves the Super Bowl.
Think of the impact on our economy. The television network makes a killing, charging as much as $3 million for a 30-second advertisement. NFL players make a small fortune and the team owners make even more than that.
The NFL’s impact isn’t limited to those in the top income bracket however. The ripple effect is wide, from NFL themed merchandise vendors to the guy who charges you $20 to park your car in his front yard when you go to the stadium in your town, the economics of football in America are amazing.
The sport itself is a great analogy for a free market economy. There are rules that all teams must play by, and as long as a team stays within those rules they can assemble the best players and staff, work hard, react to adversity and if they turn out to be the best, they’re rewarded. They get the glory, the trophy, a financial bonus and all that goes with being Super Bowl Champs.
Likewise in a free market capitalist economy, you can put together the best workers and staff possible in your chosen profession, work hard and reap the benefits. Unless, that is, you’re running for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States.
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are fighting over who is more liberal, who has the greater socialist agenda and who can promise the most freebies. Free college, free health care, free puppies and free ice cream. Except as I’ve explained to my son, there is no free ice cream. He may not pay for it, but Daddy still has to. Likewise there is no such thing as a “free” government program.
Imagine if the socialists were running the NFL. Much like today’s little league, there would be no winners and losers. Everyone would get a trophy. Star quarterbacks and referees would get equal pay. Sponsors who have previously voluntarily paid for advertising opportunities would be required to pony up cash to benefit others. The result of course would be less competitive play, no grand Super Bowl, fewer fans, less advertisers, fewer $20 bills spent for parking and a tremendous decline in the economic impact of the NFL.
If run by socialists the once grand National Football League would cease to exist. We should keep that in mind when the Democratic socialists want to put that same experiment on U.S. society as a whole. America as we know it would cease to exist.
On Sunday, enjoy the game. Be thankful for the billions of dollars generated by the NFL and other capitalist enterprises — and don’t be fooled by the Democratic socialists and their free Gatorade. I’ll choose the Super Bowl over socialism every time.
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