MVP: I Question Maximizing Profit To The Point Where You Price Out Grassroots Fans Who Have Been There Since Day One
MVP comments on corporatization in sports.
In recent months, WWE/TKO has received a ton of criticism for introducing a wave of changes to the company that include changes in ticket prices and an increasing reliance on advertisements.
Speaking with TMZ’s Inside The Ring podcast for a new interview, MVP talked about these changes in detail, saying that it is happening in almost every sport.
“I’m weighing my words here because I want to make sure I say this the right way. I think that there has been an emphasis on profit with the increasing corporatization of one side without regard for the fans who help make the company what it is. Sadly, I think that’s happened in not just wrestling. You look at the NFL, the NBA — once upon a time, you could take a family of four to an NBA game and now with the price hikes and the corporate suits, if you’re a father and you want to take your four boys out to an NBA game and you want to get them decent seats and four sodas and four popcorns, that’s a pretty substantial cut of your income. I think that AEW, we are still very concerned about that grassroots fandom. At the end of the day, it’s all a business. Professional wrestling is a business and you can have your artistry and your artistic take, but you can forget that it’s the wrestling business. If no one is buying tickets, if no one is tuning into your shows, if no one’s buying your pay-per-views, which even that model is going out the door, then there’s no place for you to do what you want to do. So, you got to remember the business aspect of things. However, I question maximizing profit to the point that you price out those grassroots fans who have been there from day one.”
MVP recently stated that he’d like to lose his retirement match so he can put over another star. Fans can check out his full comments by clicking here.
Fans can check out the lineup for the September 24 edition of AEW Dynamite by clicking here.
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