How Rich is Rich Enough?

The news has been full of the NFL and NBA lockouts/strikes over whether players were paid 6 million or 8 million, and how to divide the billions in revenue that the teams take in.

Really? Millionaires and billionaires are so hungry for yet another dollar that they can't divide up their pots of gold without resorting to strikes and lockouts? What could they possibly spend it on that is of any real importance?

Meanwhile, good, hardworking people struggle. Some families default on their mortgages, which puts a downward pressure on housing prices in their neighborhoods. Small businesses struggle to stay afloat. Some don't make it. All working people suffer in ways large and small because of this.

Maybe it is time for people like us to reassess how much of our hard earned money we should be giving to our favorite sports franchises. Just because we enjoy the games doesn't mean we really need all that logo gear. A banner here, a team towel there. A water bottle. A gas grill emblazoned with the team logo. They all cost more than their un-logo'd counterparts. A lot more. And it adds up fast.

What if everyone who was thinking of making some logo purchases this year didn't do that? Or, bought less of it. What if, instead, they bought the regular gas grill for $200 at the local store, and used the $200 that they'll save to buy some things they didn't think they could afford at a locally owned shop? Or were able to go to a local farmers' market and buy all the fresh fruits their families could eat?

As Thornton Wilder said in The Matchmaker (later Hello Dolly), "Money is like manure; it's not worth a thing unless it's spread around encouraging young things to grow." Maybe, just maybe, we can resist the urge to help the very rich use our money to get even richer, and instead encourage the neighborhood flowers to grow.