Despite an expanding advertising market, many media outlets rely on the support of wealthy sponsors.
Children from poor families had to have a wealthy sponsor to get an education, as did Sir Isaac Newton.
Now most professionals are paid by wealthy sponsors to play in tournaments, so they compete much less at rubber bridge, or Chicago.
Like almost every Moscow newspaper, many of which are sustained by wealthy sponsors, Sevodnya lost money - at one point, $7 million a year.
So, not unlike Leonardo, he has mainly made a living thanks to a series of wealthy private sponsors.
Now, fewer artists were working for the imperial courts or other wealthy sponsors.
After the concerts, a group of wealthy sponsors offered to finance Franz's musical education abroad.
He won support for his project from wealthy sponsors who formed themselves into a Bridge Brotherhood to fund its construction.
He always lived in semi-poverty and never attracted the attention of a wealthy sponsor.
With Crassus to back him, he would have loved to offer more, but the limit was there to prevent wealthy sponsors undermining the whole system.