If TOTUS goes with "Sports Welfare," here are your bona fide recipients, in no particular order (and I don't like/dislike any of these teams except Columbus/Nashville as I am a STL Blues fan):
(1) Pittsburgh Pirates
(2) Kansas City Royals
(3) Phoenix Coyotes
(4) Oakland A's
(5) Baltimore Orioles
(6) Nashville Predators
(7) Columbus Blue Jackets
(8) Memphis Grizzlies
(9) Golden State Warriors
(10) LA Clippers
No NFL? The NFL Payrolls don't make sense! Here's 2008:
2008 NFL TeamsTotal Payroll
NFL Oakland Raiders Team Salaries $ 152,389,371
NFL Dallas Cowboys Team Salaries $ 146,401,600
NFL Minnesota Vikings Team Salaries $ 133,354,045
NFL Cleveland Browns Team Salaries $ 131,916,300
N
FL New Orleans Saints Team Salaries $ 131,531,820
NFL Pittsburgh Steelers Team Salaries $ 128,815,061
NFL Tennessee Titans Team Salaries $ 126,017,443
NFL Arizona Cardinals Team Salaries $ 122,110,110
NFL Jacksonville Jaguars Team Salaries $ 122,109,207
NFL Chicago Bears Team Salaries $ 120,065,819
NFL
San Francisco 49ers Team Salaries $ 118,766,239
NFL New York Jets Team Salaries $ 116,910,097
NFL St. Louis Rams Team Salaries $ 116,677,660
NFL New York Giants Team Salaries $ 115,816,180
NFL Miami Dolphins Team Salaries $ 114,649,660
NFL Buffalo Bills Team Salaries $ 113,364,927
NFL Carolina Panthers Team Salaries $ 112,114,711
NFL Washington Redskins Team Salaries $ 111,963,684
NFL San Diego Chargers Team Salaries $ 111,813,340
NFL Cincinnati Bengals Team Salaries $ 109,727,880
NFL Philadelphia Eagles Team Salaries $ 109,557,398
NFL Houston Texans Team Salaries $ 108,445,418
NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers Team Salaries $ 104,329,311
NFL Seattle Seahawks Team Salaries $ 102,985,710
NFL Atlanta Falcons Team Salaries $ 96,391,525
NFL Detroit Lions Team Salaries $ 95,827,117
NFL Denver Broncos Team Salaries $ 95,599,778
NFL Green Bay Packers Team Salaries $ 94,018,300
NFL Indianapolis Colts Team Salaries $ 93,373,915
NFL New England Patriots Team Salaries $ 92,734,120
NFL Baltimore Ravens Team Salaries $ 90,713,965
NFL Kansas City Chiefs Team Salaries $ 83,623,776
How can OAKLAND and CLEVELAND be in the top 5?!?!? And the next-to-bottom three are very good teams! Weird...