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Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous
modern professional sports are EXACTLY what you accuse skateboarding competitions to be, glorified advertising campaigns for tickets, merchandise, and television ratings (i.e. advertising)  |
Most Olympic athletes are amateurs. The Olympics is important to sports like wrestling precisely
because there's almost no commercial interest in it. Even the sponsorship deals are minimal and I'll bet it costs more to put wrestling on at the olympics than they make back in ticket sales, merchandising, tv ratings, etc.