ABOUT USSports should be fun.The Fan View is written for, and dedicated to, those fans with a passion for sports—those fans who spend a portion of their day, however small, on sports. The Fan View is a look at major league sports from the seats of the arena, having paid the price of admission. It is also a view from home, watching the game on television or listening on the radio, and commenting on the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugliness of sports. The Fan View is for the fans that enjoy watching and talking about major league sports. The fans' enjoyment of major league sports is often curtailed by labour disputes. Millions (often hundreds of millions) of dollars are earned by players and owners in each of the four major league sports, and despite their continued support the fans usually are taken for granted. The fan has become less of a person and more of a number. The Fan View is for people--not numbers--and provides a platform for fans to air their concerns about their favourite sport. The fans cannot continue to support the leagues and receive little in return, and they should not continue to spend their money without being heard. Even more bothersome than being taken for granted, however, is the fact that those running major league sports seem incapable of managing their respective businesses. They continue to mismanage the fan dollar. When these instances occur The Fan View will be there to point a finger at those responsible. We will, as Howard Cosell used to say, "tell it like it is". As far as sports business goes the NFL has a stable business system and is able to satisfy the million dollar needs of both the owners and the players. But the NFL system cannot be duplicated as its games are played weekly and broadcast by national networks. Teams do not have their own regional broadcast deals. Outside of game attendance (and revenue netted from team advertising) the league controls the revenue, and disperses it equally among all the teams. Green Bay can compete with New York. In Baseball, there are few teams that can compete with New York. The best players can only be afforded by large market teams separating them from the middle and the lower market teams forced to stock their teams with cheaper players. The NBA has inadvertently created a system that will result in the same market mismatches as baseball. Middle market and lower market teams will refuse to pay salaries that exceed the luxury tax figure. This will leave the championships to the large market teams and the teams with rich owners unafraid of surpassing tax barrier. The NHL would like to be like basketball, but it is still much more like baseball. As long as the businesses are managed improperly the fans will feel as if they are throwing good money after bad. Fans in small markets can rarely realistically expect their support to produce a competitive team. Obviously the harshest penalty the fans can impose on the leagues is to simply stay away and not spend their money on sports. But even with so many lockouts and so many strikes it is hard for the fans to give up on their favourite sport. For many they have supported at least one team with a lifetime of support. It is about desire, about enjoyment, a release from the struggles of daily exstence. The Fan View is a website created by a sports fan, and is a home for the passionate and the insightful. Never forget--opinions matter. THE CONTENT The content is split into two categories. The RANT is a direct and often aggressive take on the issues of the day in all sports. The PROSE articles will be a more in-depth look at the issues in baseball and basketball. THE FAN FORUM Sports organizations must be aware, and must continue to be aware, of the opinions of their fan base, The Fan View provides a forum for those opinions. Write to fanforum@thefanview.com and have your say, about the content of the site, or about a pressing issue. The fan must be heard. THE SITE Michael Hobson—Writer/Site Operator Martin Wigginton—Website Designer Gary Jury—Website Co-ordinator Jacqueline Vinovich--Copy Editor
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