The disconnect between fans and athletes is glaring as ever. That was never more evident than yesterday, when Rams running back Steven Jackson mouthed off at the many Green Bay Packers fans that were in attendance at the edward jones dome in St. Louis:

"It's a joke, as simple as that ... We were at Lambeau Field. The whole first level was Green Bay Packer fans."

Jackson has been established as the Rams' whiny prima donna since his rookie year, so hearing something like this from him is nothing new. Still, it speaks to the glaring gap that exists between spoiled, selfish athletes and the people who support them.

Why these players fail to realize the product on the field matters is baffling. Not a whole lot of people are going to shell out the kind of money it takes to watch one of the worst, most boring teams in the NFL lose. The Rams, in particular, have a lifeless head coach, a listless offense and maybe the worst special teams in football.

This isn't going on only in St. Louis, of course. Places like Kansas City, which is widely recognized as one of the best football towns in America, are also having trouble luring fans. This is an excerpt of an article from K.C. Star columnist Joe Posnanski:

"Arrowhead Stadium hasn't been like this for a long, long time. Here are some of my scribbled notes from the day:

No traffic. One scalper, and he's looking to buy a parking pass. Barren parking lot. Where's the barbecue smell? Stadium half-empty at the start. Boos. "Fire Herm" sign. More boos ... Three people holding "Get ... Over ... It" signs. Now two-thirds empty. Three fans taunt Chiefs offensive tackle Damion McIntosh. He barks back. A "Bring on the Royals" sign."

That's when happens when the teams are horrendous, as the Chiefs and Rams are.

Going to an NFL game isn't cheap, and if people have to choose between things like paying bills or going to a football game, bills are probably going to win out.

For example, say you wanted to buy season tickets for the Rams before the season started. Keep in mind, a Personal Seat License (PSL) is mandatory if you want season tickets. Here is how it is described:

"A PSL is a one-time payment that provides you ownership of your season ticket. Once you purchase the PSL, you then purchase a season ticket for your assigned seat."

So you have to pay in order to pay for tickets. Okay, then. Now, here's how much the least expensive decent seat (non-nosebleed section) in the house will cost for a PSL and season tickets: $1,000 for the PSL and $740 for the ticket. Now, add on for parking (let's say $7), two hot dogs ($3.75 x 2 = $7.50), two beers ($8 x 2 = $16) and one program ($22).

So, counting the preseason games (which are mandatory purchases if you buy season tickets), then the the total cost for two people to go to ten games is $ 4,005. Four thousand dollars. That may not be much for players like Steven Jackson, but for most people, it is. Getting a little money back by selling their tickets to the crapshow that is Rams football seems not only logical, but intelligent.

(Photo: Flickr)