The Great Penguin Migration

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy the Penguins won the Stanley Cup and all, but seriously... 200+ thousand people lining the streets downtown on a Monday? When I hear someone say that sports and entertainment is nothing more than an opiate for the masses, I usually scoff. But to be honest I'm beginning to wonder. Yes, it is exciting. Yes, they overcame great odds to win. And yes, it is good for the city that both the Steelers and the Penguins won Championships this year. Although exactly how it is good for the City is open for debate. Mostly I think it is good for those rich people who have suddenly gotten even richer. It hasn't benefitted me or my business in any way, other than negatively. And t-shirt sales. I saw a lot of people buying $25-30 t-shirts this morning. Good PR I suppose. Although it has been proven time and time again that cities with sports teams don't do as well economically as those without.

The point being that I know several people that could not get into work this morning. If I know several that means there are hundreds that stayed home, turned around and went home or joined the throng along the parade route. Hundreds of thousands that are not at work today. Several of our employees.

I don't want to complain, but seriously, shouldn't we have these parades on a Saturday or Sunday? We should, but we won't. And you know why? Because of the players, most of whom will be on a plane as soon as they can to fly home. Just like the Steelers. Most of the players don't live here in Pittsburgh, they live in their million dollar homes somewhere else, probably somewhere that gets more sun.

I don't have a problem with that and neither do the thousands lining the streets, cheering on the millionaires that play a game for a living. All while they take a day off from making their own.