Babe Ruth: One Man Who Changed The Face Of Sports

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Introduction In 776 B.C., the first recorded sports event was held in the Ancient Olympic Games in Greece. The only event, the stadion, was won by Coroebus of Elis. The prize Coroebus received was a palm branch and the honor of being known as the fastest man in Greece. Sports have evolved from a simple contest of pride into a trillion dollar industry worldwide. Last year, Alex Rodriguez signed a 10 year contract that will pay him over $300 million to play baseball for the New York Yankees. The new football stadium and supporting complexes for the New York Jets and Giants will cost $1.6 billion that is paid by the owners, private investors, tax payers, and, in a new financing activity called Personalized Seat Licenses, the fans. AIG is paying…show more content…
Babe Ruth was the first athlete that captured the public’s imagination and transcended the level of athlete into a public figure. Ruth’s hitting prowess made him a celebrity in America, Japan, anywhere baseball was played. In 1920, the Babe hit 54 home runs, more than every other major league baseball team except one. Ruth led the transformation of baseball strategy from the "inside game" to the "power game" due to the style and manner in which he hit them. Ruth’s display of power was so impressive, the adjective “Ruthian” was created to describe any long home run hit by any player. Babe Ruth is widely regarded as the greatest ballplayer of all time and the most influential…show more content…
The average value of a MLB baseball team has increased from $122 million in 1991 to $376.5 million in 2006. That is more than a 300% rate of return on your original investment over a 15 year period before any profits made while owning the team. Teams split the national TV contact money made with their respective leagues (Example: the NFL earns $4.5 billion annually from its current TV deal, or $140 million per team) while individually selling local television and radio rights. The benefits of owning a sports franchise is not only monetary. Franchisee ownership allows relatively unknown men and women to be thrust into the sports spotlight, creating a sense of celebrity that would be impossible. George Steinbrenner and Mark Cuban are two examples of wealthy men who bought sports teams and immediately made themselves the face of the franchise with their

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