One of the more disturbing features of sports in America in the 21st Century is this: Fun and profit are in a constant state of war with one another. What is fun is unprofitable, and what is profitable is almost never fun.
Do you know what was fun? When I was a kid in the Bay Area, you could show up to an Oakland A’s game — and keep in mind, this was when the A’s were perennial World Series contenders — literally minutes before the game and score a bleacher ticket for a few bucks.