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| All wrestling, but especially indie wrestling like Chikara, would be better off under nationalization Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
Leftist economic thought can hardly be described as capitalist-friendly. Even liberal/left presentations of any form of capitalism far from unfettered, with most leading towards socialism, communism, or even left-anarchism, which really is just full communism at its most extreme end (workers control everything). So in a society that has socialism, whether in congress with capitalism or fully automated socialism1, industries will be nationalized, in that the state runs things, not private enterprise. Even the United States has nationalization in some areas, like the postal service. In a nationalized service, no one makes a profit, and instead all money trickles down to expenses, overhead, labor, and redistribution to other programs that might need a boost. Several industries could stand for some good, ol' fashioned redistribution of wealth by force of government. Energy industries, for example, would be a great place to start with all these fossil fuel tycoons walking around with pockets bulging out, skirting environmental regulations while labor works long, hard hours on projects that are hilariously unpopular in their areas. Silicon Valley is another place where the people on top should probably have their every move watched and all the money they hoard spread around to code grunts who work sometimes 16 hours a day on nothing but Soylent and caffeine and who would have catheters installed if they were allowed. You know what industry would really be helped out through nationalization though? That's right, pro wrestling!
Wrestling around the country works on some of the most hairpin margins of any industry. Only WWE really has had success making money out of the venture on a scale that befits the collective business' love affair with capitalism, and the lower one goes on the prestige scale, the larger the ratio of risk to money made becomes. Seriously, if one were to see the paydays some of these low-level deathmatch wrestlers receive for some of the gory shit they put themselves through, that person might faint. On top of that, wrestling doesn't get any federal money for subsidy. It's not lucrative enough to get funding for its own arenas like sports franchises do, and when someone in the fade suggests it's an art to someone outside, they'll get laughed out of the room. Many businesses would benefit from nationalization as it stands right now, but wrestling totally might have the biggest tangible increase in percentage benefit, if one could actually calculate that sort of thing.
Nationalization of wrestling would provide many benefits for workers and fans. The money infused into the business might make it profitable to be a wrestler outside the scope of national television or exporting oneself to Japan or Mexico. Even if it's not coupled with single payer healthcare, as government employees or at least contractors under the federal purview, they'd have access to government plans. More government involvement would mean better regulation, especially at lower levels. You'd probably still have shady promoters, but at least they'd have to answer to someone. Money from more successful promotions or even more lucrative nationalized departments would make sure that everyone doing this thing would get compensated for it commensurately.
The biggest downside to nationalization will come internally. Wrestlers are mostly brainwashed to think that their drawing power is the only merit, and that money made is some holy grail statistic that makes or breaks you as a performer. Economics are a huge part of life, but the idea that the only good ideas are ones that make money is horseshit. Worth comes in many forms, and anyone who performs any service or provides any good deserves compensation that allows them to live as full members of society. Nationalization of wrestling is the only way that will happen for a vast majority of workers and even promoters, because buddy, Vince McMahon ain't spreading around his largesse, let alone out of the goodness of his heart.
1 - I'm not sure if any country has full socialism. Maybe Cuba? North Korea?