Sponsoring Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century

Here’s the way to sponsor entrepreneurship: establish, or attempt to establish, that every American has the same basic opportunities and freedom as everyone else. Effectively mandate that states provide a breakfast program in schools, and expand the single-payer healthcare plans to lower-income neighborhoods. Reform the jail system. You know, make policy in accordance to the needs of those who are trying to be entrepreneurs.

That philosophy happens to be a lot cheaper than the ‘free market’ alternative. The alternative, however, is heavily defended.

When Congress was briefly debating the tax cut compromise, the slogans were loud, and they were reported. “Entrepreneurs work hard for their money.” “Entrepreneurship shouldn’t be punished. Success shouldn’t be punished.” “Government doesn’t have the right to punish those who’ve made it.”

Now, I would presume that many of the folks who said things like this absolutely love the National Football League, just as I do. They love their team, even if it’s terrible and in a small market, because they have hope that it will win. They see teams that had horrible losing records one year make a Super Bowl appearance the next, like the Arizona Cardinals. They see hard evidence that it can happen, that their team has an opportunity to win.

Well, the reason they have hope is because the NFL requires it from the various clubs. TV show host, Bill Maher, in an article on the Huffington Post last month, summed up the league’s fairness policy in his own words: “The NFL runs itself in a way that would fit nicely on Glenn Beck’s chalkboard – they literally share the wealth, through salary caps and revenue sharing – TV is their biggest source of revenue, and they put all of it in a big commie pot and split it 32 ways… That’s why the team that wins the Super Bowl picks last in the next draft. Or what the Republicans would call ‘punishing success’.”

In summary, what it means to sponsor entrepreneurship needs to be defined carefully. Codewords and slogans need to come under public scrutiny, your scrutiny, and then you can decide what it means to promote what is ultimately your path and your neighbor’s path to being a 21st century entrepreneur.

By William Shaub, Assistant Online Editor
On Twitter @weshaub

Banner image courtesy of jonny goldstein