K. J. Fairchild Books

On May 4, 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings defeated the Great Westerns 45-9, marking the first professional team sports game with a fully paid roster. This event highlights the negative impact of money on team sports, as the amateur Great Westerns contrasted sharply with the monetized Red Stockings. In the anniversary month of this historic game, K. J. Fairchild’s Fair Pay–Fair Getting the Pro-Team Sports We Want at Prices We Can Afford explores the detrimental effects of money in contemporary professional sports, including baseball, basketball, football, and hockey. These issues encompass high costs for fans and taxpayers, a shift from team success to individual accolades, and the disruption of game flow due to excessive commercial breaks. Fairchild attributes these problems to the monopolistic control of leagues and local franchises, which are viewed as "My Team" by devoted fans. The author discusses historical tools society has used to combat monopolies and suggests their application to current sports monopolists. The book's companion website, www.fairpayfairplay.org, invites fans, non-fans, and taxpayers to engage with the issues raised and includes discussions on similar challenges in major college sports. Provocative and well-researched, this work is essential reading for fans, non-fans, taxpayers, and policymakers alike.