ABSTRACT
Professional sports have become a permanent staple in American culture. Baseball is America’s pastime; the Super Bowl of the National Football League (NFL) has been the most watched television event year after year. Along with basketball and hockey, professional sports have given people something outside of their own personal lives to find enjoyment and pride vicariously through their favorite teams (Mason, 1999). Fan interest rarely wanes for professional sports because they are the ultimate reality shows. Despite the records of the teams competing, the outcome is uncertain because of the leagues’ insistence on maintaining a competitive balance among the teams; anything can happen (Bowman et al., 2013). However, fans do not always see what goes on behind the scenes of a sporting event, nor do they always comprehend the complexities of professional sports (Ross, 1997). In recent years, some of these complexities have come to light.
