This is the Statt Mann baby.  It's time to Scatt a little bit.

It’s easy to blame the economy for these tough times in the sports till.

But I’m starting to believe that some of the audience cynicism comes from complete frustration with the big businesses that have taken over major league sports in America.

We don’t have to look much further than the Gulf Oil Spill to feel complete frustration.  Those live pictures of raw oil spilling into one of the Earth’s natural wonders like the Gulf of Mexico are heartbreaking.

Even the little corporate disasters can contribute to the cynicism.

I remember once when I tried to take advantage of a so-called discount at a gas pump and figured that it cost me thirty-five cents to save a quarter in my final bill.

Or that expensive pack of peanuts I purchased at a recent race. I was amazed to learn that each of the peanuts in that pack cost 34 cents each!

Or just this weekend when I tried to get rid of a middle seat on a cross country flight. If aisle or window seats were available, I wanted to pay or surrender some frequent flyer miles for the opportunity.

When I finally got on the plane, there were enough aisle seats for people to play musical chairs when the doors closed at the gate.

No, I don’t think it’s just the economy that’s hammering on sports promoters these days.  I think the paying fans are just fed up with being ripped off whenever they have an experience with corporate America. 

And, if you’re like me, you’re ready to find something else to do rather than gave a corporate giant another dime.

Peace.