The Kentucky Derby's explosive growth as a business is pricing out local residents and disrupting the Louisville community that built the event. Organizers raised ticket prices and pushed the Oaks race to a later Friday start time, changes that local business owners say hollow out foot traffic and hurt their bottom lines. A steakhouse owner summed up the frustration bluntly: "The only thing I see is greed." The timing shift means fewer locals can attend after work, while higher costs push casual fans toward watching from home. Restaurants around the track report lost revenue on what used to be a neighborhood celebration. The gap between the Derby's commercial success and its roots reveals a common tension in sports business. As events scale up and attract corporate sponsors and wealthy out-of-town visitors, longtime locals get squeezed out. The question facing organizers is whether chasing maximum profit from premium seats and national audiences justifies losing the community that made the Derby what it is. Without course correction, Louisville risks becoming an audience to its own tradition rather than its heart.