The field crew is preparing the grounds, and the cleaning crew is wiping off the seats. While the crew prepares the stadium, the athletes are lounging in the clubhouses, watching cable television and sipping bottled spring water. Their expensive sports cars have been left at home, and the pricey limousines that brought them to the field are waiting outside for the athletes" hasty escapes. .
Meanwhile, across town, a family of three is also getting ready for today's game. The mother, an elementary school teacher, got home twenty minutes ago and is trying to get some decent food in her child's stomach. The father won't be home for another hour from his job at the local hospital. The ten year old son can hardly contain himself, much less finish his dinner. His favorite team is in the playoffs and somehow his parents managed to get three tickets to the game for fifty dollars a ticket. The tickets are not for sideline seats, but they are as close to the field as the family could afford. .
As the mother cleans the son's dirty dishes, her thoughts wander toward her childhood. She thinks back to when she could get into the games for just ten dollars, and buy a bag of peanuts for fifty cents. Those were the days when the star player of the game would stay after to sign autographs for the kids, and not get paid to do it. The players were performers and they accepted the fame with grace and dignity. Today, the players rarely stay long after games, and they profit ten dollars from an autograph which the fan has to buy at the souvenir shop. .
Not only do the players profit ten dollars from an autograph, but they also get paid large amounts of money merely to entertain the crowds. Once the player improves and is sought by many different teams, he becomes an object that goes to the highest bidder. Once the final bid is made and accepted, the team must keep up the price and continuously raise the athlete's salary to keep him interested in the team.
