"IT HAS BEEN REPORTED OVER AND OVER AGAIN by sociologists and psychologists that sports have taken on a central role in the daily lives of millions of Americans, sometimes even exceeding politics, community service, religion, or family in importance," writes sports historian Richard O. Davies. For example, more Americans watched the January 1999 Super Bowl (133 million) than had elected President Bill Clinton in 1998 (48 million). The national obsession with pro sports is partly documented in financial terms. Writing in 1997, economist Wilbert M. Leonard II noted,

The professional sports industry has burgeoned into one of the most significant mass—entertainment industries in American society. In 1995 . . . the 109 franchises in professional baseball, basketball, football, and hockey were estimated to be worth over $11 billion. . . . The gross national sports product, GNSP, today is around $85 billion and is predicted to be in the $120 billion range by the year 2000. This would make it the eighth largest...