bookpublishing

A couple of weeks ago I wrote in this blog about my publisher’s decision to dial back on sports books. It is sad news and one of the many broad-reaching effects of the declining economy and the rise in costs related to enjoying sports in recent years.

A USA Today article this morning talks about how more and more the sports industry is alienating fans who can’t afford the high costs of merchandise, tickets, and even TV packages like NFL Ticket that broadcast every NFL game each week. As a New Englander, I favor the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox–but the chances of being able to afford tickets to those games are pretty near zero, especially during this difficult financial time we’re in. It really wasn’t that long ago that tickets to these games were under $50 each–certainly in my lifetime (and I’m only 24 years old). But now when you consider how much it costs for gas to the stadium and parking fees (or mass transit costs), ticket cost, food, and merchandise, it’s easy to spend $250 or more.

At a time when many professional and college sports teams are expanding stadiums, adding expensive luxury suites and raising ticket prices to increase revenue, the economic crisis is exacerbating a disconnect between the teams and fans who are being priced out of live sports.

Although even the “recession-proof” or “recession-resistant” sports industry must cut costs, they’re still doing very well. 2007 brought a record $32.06 billion revenue for live sporting events, for instance. But I have my doubts that the number will grow this year. Sports players make some of the undisputed largest salaries in the country: MLB players made an average of $3 million in 2007; NFL’s minimum salary for a player with zero years experience was $285,000 in 2007, and with 10+ years of experience, $820,000–QB Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons, before being suspended from the NFL, made almost $8 million.

Then there’s the sportscaster, sportswriters, coaches, and other sports personalities. They’re used to making a lot of money not just in salary, but in other sources of income–for instance, when writing books. It means that these celebrity authors require a hefty advance on royalties–and that’s money the publisher has to shell out at the beginning of the project, long before any revenue on the book comes in. As I’m writing this, I find out from Publisher’s Weekly that Sports Publishing, LLC has filed for bankruptcy. This is precisely what I’m talking about. It’s getting too difficult for publishers to keep up with the uninterrupted high costs associated with the sports industry. And since the industry profits a great deal from advertising from other big, profitable companies, there isn’t a lot of hope for a slowdown in that arena.

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