1/ I grew up playing baseball at a high level. Something has changed over the last 20 years. Community leagues have been raided by elite travel teams charging outrageous fees and promising stardom.
Private equity has come for youth sports. @moetkacik in @TheProspect:
BREAKING: Job cut announcements surged to 108,435 job cuts in January, up 118% from last year and 205% from December. Transportation, Tech, and Healthcare led; Hiring plans were the lowest for any January on record. Full report: :
Hear directly from President Trump 👂
Looks like sports owners are gouging fans by padding ticket prices with bogus junk fees at check out.
Our @AlexJacquez weighs in on why regulators must enforce consumer protection laws 👇
NEW: The Giants are the 3rd MLB team in 5 months to be sued over "junk fees" (others: Red Sox and Nationals)
Ex-Biden admin official Alex Jacquez tells @FOS the federal gov't could act if more suits pile up.
“There are a lot of sports fans in Congress."
https://frontofficesports.com/giants-become-3rd-mlb-team-sued-over-junk-fees-since-september/
I’ve said it before: I like to bet on sports. Not too much, not too often.
But what @DraftKings and @FanDuel have done is monopolized the market and put a dangerously addictive slot machine in your pocket.
@gurleygg has the latest in @TheProspect’s The Business of Sports: 1/
This deal follows the same billionaire playbook we’ve seen again and again.
Streaming is just another way greedy billionaires gouge you: If you want to see a sports game for all four major sports, that’ll cost you up to **$2,634 a year.**
Bad news for anyone who watches the NFL: The Trump administration just approved a massive consolidation of sports streaming.
It's a big mistake that will mean higher costs, and fewer choices to watch games.
Want a World Cup ticket? It may run $80,000.
FIFA used to keep tickets affordable and reserve cheap seats for diehard fans. Now, they're jacking up prices, loading on fees, and raking in profits.
It doesn't have to be this way. @owenslindsay1 and @NiaMLaw in @TheProspect:
FIFA is turning fans’ once-in-a-lifetime experience to attend a World Cup to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to price gouge fans.
@owenslindsay1 & Nia Law show how FIFA’s greed is extracting every last dollar from fans—from $175 parking fees to $80,000 tickets.
And with no
We can’t help with the Capitals’ performance, but the $16 12oz cocktail is a classic example of gouging.
Fans have no alternatives inside the arena, so billionaire owners charge whatever they want.
It doesn’t have to be this way 👇
welcome to capital one arena. it’s $16 for a 12 oz canned cocktail. the water in every bathroom is -15 degrees. the hockey team loses every game
New in @TheProspect: FIFA is gouging fans for cash at this year’s World Cup. @owenslindsay1 and Nia Law break down how.
Tickets are topping out at $80,000. Not a typo.
That price didn’t happen by accident.
Today's story from our Business of Sports issue is from me, on how it's become harder to be a sports fan.
I got to start with this all-time story about my dad, a story that has been rendered impossible by luxury boxes and VIP seating.
https://prospect.org/2026/02/03/feb-2026-magazine-sports-not-in-their-league-fandom/
Over 80% of Americans say sporting events are too expensive to attend. So it’s no surprise fans feel they’re being ripped off.
It’s the same playbook we see everywhere else: billionaire greed, consolidation, & profit above everything—whether it’s housing, health care, or your
The cheapest Super Bowl seat last year? $3,000. The most expensive suite? $1.95 million. Two hot dogs, two drinks, and a piece of merch at a @Raiders game? $92.91.
It's getting more expensive and more annoying to be a sports fan. @ddayen on the latest in The Business of Sports:
The manufacturing boom President Trump promised would usher in a golden age for America is going in reverse
Welcome to sports in the 21st century: Kansas taxpayers will spend $3 BILLION to move the @Chiefs 23 miles—while the billionaire owners keep all the profits.
This is the new business of sports: Kansas hands out welfare to billionaire sports owners while fans fight for less
