There's no business like show business, and that includes the NFL, the NBA, Major League Baseball, the World Cup and the Olympics.
Time was, radio and television stations ran news programs "to serve the public interest and necessity," to quote Federal Communications Commission rules, and the fate of their licenses depended on broadcasters meeting that obligation.
More recently, however, news divisions became profit centers, and their product -- information -- became something to be marketed and sold, much like any other commodity. Sports news, too, is a commodity. But unlike general news and information, athletic events have long been more in the realm of entertainment. After all, promoters sell tickets to their events, and sell broadcast rights to radio and TV stations, who in turn sell advertising to other businesses anxious to reach an attentive audience.
Orchestras sell tickets to concerts; drama and comedy attract audiences and depend on reviewers to help promote their performers, just as sports teams sell tickets and broadcast rights.
Even print reporters in the stadium press box are there at the pleasure of the team owner. Credentials can be denied or withdrawn at any time. The same is true, by the way, for the White House press corps. Those who are not accredited cannot gain entry to the briefing room, and must cover the news as best they can from a street corner.
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