7 Foot Man-eating Chicken

P. T. Barnum advertised an exhibit called the "6 Foot Man-Eating Chicken". Incredible! A 6 foot chicken in and of itself is an attraction! Throw the "Man-Eater" angle in there and you've got to go! Cost you 25 cents. After 3 months of promotion the exhibit opened. The line to get in was around the block. One by one they filed in. But once inside they found a 6 foot tall man sitting in a chair....eating chicken!, The patrons had been snookered. They laughed. Most people don't mind laughing at themselves. Barnum had gotten one over on them and they would happily come back for the next scam, especially for only 25 cents. Oddly this anecdote reminded me of how professional sports has been snookering the public for some time now. I simply added a foot of height to accommodate for the increased size of an NBA player. Advertise one thing and give 'em something else. The problem is that it's not as funny when the price of taking your family to one of these sporting events no longer costs a quarter and you went expecting to see a basketball game but found yourself at the circus. Book jacket.