Sport Commercialization Quotes

Surf culture and surfing for me are two completely different things. Surf culture has become very - it's a very commercial, competitive thing, fashionable. With all due respect to the 'Surfer Dude' movie, I think the 'Surfer Dude' movie reflects that, reflects what surfing's become, but I come from a place where the surf industry began.

Boxing always was corrupt and always will be corrupt. The three world champion's belts really are absurd. One single association would make this business more reputable. Just as powerful as the promoters, is the media. The cable networks control the cash flow. You can’t ignore the influence the media and the promoters have on the sport. They have a financial objective - high ratings, selling pay-per-views and selling out arenas. Because of the system, the public may not be seeing the best the sport has to offer, but what sells.

I think we disregard fans too much. They drive our sport. The money has gotten so big that it has become a corporate league other than the nosebleed seats.

As soon as you take money for playing sport, it isn't sport, it's work.

When playing football became a job, it lost its luster for me.

Money is killing football: people are making their decisions based on money.

The bloodsuckers around Tyson are always looking for one more payday, and some people will always be willing to pay to see Iron Mike fight.

The commercialization of sport is the democratization of sport.

Wrestling has gotten so show-biz, it's to the point where people scoff at it.

Professionalism in tennis ... only resulted in making billionaires out of rude children, producing an onslaught of moody defectors, and a lot of guys with hair that looks as if bats slept in it... Meanwhile, my head swims with the thought that I have watched tennis progress from Don Budge and Alice Marble to Farrah Fawcett becoming John McEnroe's mother-in-law.

The history of soccer is a sad voyage from beauty to duty. When the sport became an industry, the beauty that blossoms from the joy of play got torn out by its very roots.

I don't enjoy getting knocked about on a football field for other people's amusement. I enjoy it if I'm being paid a lot for it.

People love to say we get paid a lot of money to play a game, but it stopped being a game when you start getting paid.

I have the impression that cycling is no longer a game but rather an employment... a job.