Rich people have many ways to show off. This one involves parading a winning sports franchise /team down the street of their hometown after winning the trophy in their respective sport.
As in the case of the Warriors team taking the NBA championship this year. This pro basketball team is based in Oakland CA. So the city after inviting the team back from Cleveland where they went to win and bring the trophy and respective big money prizes is hosting a parade.
Said parade is at the expense of tax payer money - which the city does not have - Oakland appears broke given the state of disrepair, yet somehow happens to find money to pay for floats, police overtime, sweeping the streets after the party et al.
The believers (a self defined term for the fan base) or the faithful (to the sport - which happens to epitomize capitalism where every player is traded for the most money) spend additional gobs of money - money they do not have and might be close to a foreclosure themselves - on paraphernalia showing off team colors and brands, which includes noise makers, sticks, hats and other nonsense.
This to aid in showing their loyalty to the rich people on the team who got rich off the same people who bought exorbitant tickets and beer whilst watching the game of ball.
Now these rich athletes get a chance to parade and have their devotees appear on the street to shout, cheer, go drunk and generally lose their minds while the city and the media ogle.
The asinine affair does not end there. Then there are viewing parties hosted by many an employer to allow staff during work hours to come and watch the media extravaganza from a remote location - that of crazy people shouting and pawing at their stars aka these highly paid athletes as they are driven down a street in Oakland. More team color items or official athletic gear are sold to the large gatherings prior to the event at specially designated stores - a cut of which goes back into the pockets of the same players that made the initial gobs of money.
Yet the devotees leave the streets chanting - We Won, We Won. Best con ever if there was one.
PS: As an aside do they parade a guy that invents a vaccine against a deadly disease? Or a guy that invents the internet? Or the latest Laureates? I think not.
Many countries do like to parade their military might and I know there are viewing parties for that - other than those on the roadside watching the hardware go by. That may be is a pastime or education on what the country has in its arsenal but in general parading seems somewhat infantile.
As in the case of the Warriors team taking the NBA championship this year. This pro basketball team is based in Oakland CA. So the city after inviting the team back from Cleveland where they went to win and bring the trophy and respective big money prizes is hosting a parade.
Said parade is at the expense of tax payer money - which the city does not have - Oakland appears broke given the state of disrepair, yet somehow happens to find money to pay for floats, police overtime, sweeping the streets after the party et al.
The believers (a self defined term for the fan base) or the faithful (to the sport - which happens to epitomize capitalism where every player is traded for the most money) spend additional gobs of money - money they do not have and might be close to a foreclosure themselves - on paraphernalia showing off team colors and brands, which includes noise makers, sticks, hats and other nonsense.
This to aid in showing their loyalty to the rich people on the team who got rich off the same people who bought exorbitant tickets and beer whilst watching the game of ball.
Now these rich athletes get a chance to parade and have their devotees appear on the street to shout, cheer, go drunk and generally lose their minds while the city and the media ogle.
The asinine affair does not end there. Then there are viewing parties hosted by many an employer to allow staff during work hours to come and watch the media extravaganza from a remote location - that of crazy people shouting and pawing at their stars aka these highly paid athletes as they are driven down a street in Oakland. More team color items or official athletic gear are sold to the large gatherings prior to the event at specially designated stores - a cut of which goes back into the pockets of the same players that made the initial gobs of money.
Yet the devotees leave the streets chanting - We Won, We Won. Best con ever if there was one.
PS: As an aside do they parade a guy that invents a vaccine against a deadly disease? Or a guy that invents the internet? Or the latest Laureates? I think not.
Many countries do like to parade their military might and I know there are viewing parties for that - other than those on the roadside watching the hardware go by. That may be is a pastime or education on what the country has in its arsenal but in general parading seems somewhat infantile.
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