Weighing in on professional sports, I used to think it served no purpose. But then I realized it's not really any different than the movie/TV industry. I *don't* think public money should be going for it, though. I don't really think the movie industry should get public money either.
But then I think about small-time film makers that can draw attention to social problems with films they couldn't afford to make without grants. Should those be taken away? How about funding for neighborhood sports programs?
It gets complicated, and I think we may be drifting into topics forbidden on the forum. So I'll end my comments here.