Pro sports financials (only higher-paid gender examined so far) (sources for data below are available if someone is interested in improving this analysis) League salaries ($billions) revenue generated ($billions) ratio NFL 10.9 22.2 2.0 MLB 5.8 12.8 2.2 NBA 5.7 12.3 2.2 NHL 3.2 7.9 2.5 MLS 0.6 2.2 3.7 Overall 26.2 57.4 2.2 Salaries above do not include other costs to teams, but if salaries are very large fractions, then investing in Pro sports yields approach 2X annually. Doubling one’s money is an attractive proposition. If this looks like ‘The American Way', I’d counter that investing in scientific research and development offers arguably better outcomes. -- US spending on research and development: “Even as public funding has dropped, business R&D investments have steadily risen. Today businesses spend far more than the government; in 2023, companies invested about $700 billion in R&D while the US government spent $172 billion, according to data from the NSF’s statistical agency.” Quote from: https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/17/1123760/how-to-measure-the-returns-to-rd-spending/ See also: https://www.royalsociety.org/news-resources/publications/2024/science-and-the-economy/ https://www.innovationgrowthlab.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Evidence-Review-Measuring-the-Social-Returns-of-RD-Investment-1-2.pdf Depending on what source one considers, return on invest (ROI) is 5 to 20X from Science, but it has squishy aspects. ROI is not measured on annual basis and includes Societal benefits that are less clearly defined. Some R&D investments may yield no ROI at all. It is no wonder then that Pro sports backers shake their pom poms and welcome further monetization of College sports. Against which I suggest that ROI on scientific R&D investments (even if not dramatically larger than on sports) does more to advance the Human Enterprise. One team wins for example Super Bowl one year and following year does not. That seems a small matter, but when science R&D investments create something new and valuable, it sticks. -- Sports analysis does not include UFC which might show a high ROI. It is favored by some Americans now in high places. -- Are Pro sports more than distractions for the masses? Bread and chocolate? Science R&D certainly is not.
Can you please clarify the specific "science" you're trying to reference here? I see zero of it... I only see financial numbers... And when you actually look at the numbers in pro sports the whole system is rigged to benefit the oligarchs and no one else and they could care less about advancements in medical science to make their players better if cutting the player from the team is cheaper. As in NFL causes brain damage at scale and they care more about their money than the science of protecting players. Specifically... Today, while I was driving to buy spark plugs, air filter and oil filter for a 2009 Prius I heard on the radio that the Super Bowl winning Seattle Seahawks were purchased by an awful oligarch in 1992 for $81 million and he immediately sent the moving trucks in and attempted to move the team to Los Angeles. A short amount of time later another oligarch Paul Allen of Microsoft saved Seattle from losing their football team by paying a bit more than double while the moving trucks were almost loaded and ready to head to California. That's a disgusting obscene profit that should be criminalized if their was justice and basic human rights in the world! Fast-forward to this week after Paul Allen has been dead since 10/15/18 his estate finally sold the team for $9.6 Billion!!!! That's not science, that's corrupt evil people who don't care about the survival of 8 billion humans, but care about rigging their criminal inhumane system because they think the only meaning in life is exploiting other people to maximize their profits by a global economy that's built on corruption and greed! So again I say why have you mentioned zero ROI as relates to actual Science in your post?
"please clarify the specific "science" you're trying to reference here?" NSF is quite open about their research funding. Not mentioned above, NIH, DoE, NASA and other Federal Agencies are also quite open about their research funding. I would not take on the role of which Agency spent how much each year on what. Do others see that as my role here? Y'all might be surprised at how many US govt websites are inaccessible from China. The point here is that pro sports, while remunerative, are less so than investing in Science across topics and beyond 1-year payoffs.
the reasons are simple enough. sports (like Hollywood, etc.) are optional. taxes are not. I haven't seen anyone come up with a viable solution to the problem.
Repeating part from above: "in 2023, companies invested about $700 billion in R&D while the US government spent $172 billion" To make it clear that US taxes fund about 20% of US R&D. I think it has also decreased since 2023.
How much gets invested in sports out of (usually local, rather than federal) taxation, stadium tax breaks and the like?
which means what? the general population should be buying high priced tickets to scientific experiments? hot dogs? wearables?
less than in the past. but it's either because there are political payoffs, they claim it's good for the economy, or both. perhaps scientists should take a page out of their book, there must be some corrupt ones somewhere
Someday we'll realize that the entire system of real estate and construction finance is rigged to make the rich richer and the poor poorer... Using local taxes to pay for wealthy owners new stadiums with hundreds of private luxury suites makes a massive profit. It's so out of control that new owner of the Portland Trailblazers Tom Dundon just told the city that not only are they going to pay for a new arena for his basketball team they're also going to be required to cover his losses if he doesn't earn a profit... Seriously, the rule of billionaires will end very quickly soon as there's an uprising and a few of them lose everything including their freedom. Soon as word gets out that the wealthiest are gonna be targeted by citizens demanding an end to disparity in wealth, all of them will quickly go into hiding and won't want to draw attention to themselves and the world will be a way better place. "Brian Berger, the host of Sports Business Radio, joined me for a candid conversation about the chess game being played. He believes Dundon is already dug into his position. Said Berger: “He’s going to want most, if not all, of the revenues. He’s going to want property development around the arena. He is going to want all the money, and if you’re the city, can you look yourself in the mirror, can you go to taxpayers and say, ‘This is the deal I made, and this is why it’s a good deal for taxpayers’? There are two hurdles here, and I don’t think we’re going to clear both of those hurdles.” Berger said that Silver, the NBA commissioner, is in a tricky position. Would Silver step in, mediate the dispute, or require Dundon to sell the team to an owner who wants to stay in Portland? “I think the only way that Dundon will stay in Portland is if the league makes him stay in Portland or makes him sell to an owner that wants to stay,” Berger said." Canzano: Drilling into the Trail Blazers mess
