You know I think I must be nuts. Maybe you are too.
I’m talking about my investment in the NFL.
My tickets are $120 each. Parking is another $40. So at minimum I invest $280 per game. But we all know it goes well beyond that.
There are tailgating and in-stadium food and refreshment expenses. On a smaller scale there’s the time invested in the commute and the accompanying tolls.
Then if you are as unfortunate as me, you have a couple of knuckleheads around you who complain whenever you stand up. And mind you, I only stand up on third down out of respect for the frequent snobbery around me, or if the person in front of me is standing.
During the last home game against the Steelers, there was a portly couple a few rows ahead dressed in all their black and yellow regalia, standing and waving the terrible rag. Of course that triggered a ripple stand up effect in our section.
Our seats are good, lower level on the 45 yard line. But you still don’t see what you see on TV so I’m often looking at the big screens for another look or to watch the path of field goal attempts. I find myself questioning the logic in spending all that money to watch a TV when I’ve got several at home.
And then of course there are the elements. Sometimes it’s too hot; too sunny; too cold or too wet. It’s then that my kick ass HDTV and home seem like a better option.
Speaking of home, the food and beer are better and much less expensive just like the parking; the bathroom lines are shorter; there’s no line to get into the stadium; there are no postgame traffic jams; and perhaps most importantly I see so much more of the game and I don’t even have to stand up to do so!
Ok so you can’t reproduce the atmosphere at the game or the tailgate lots but is that part of the experience so overwhelmingly better than being at home or over at a friend’s house that I’m willing to pay $8 for bad beer or miss exciting plays while waiting for the guy in front of me to stop shaking it?
For some I suppose that answer is yes but for someone who has attended nearly every Ravens game since 1996, I’m beginning to question the value, particularly as the price of tickets, food, beer and parking climb each season.
Maybe I’m just getting old.
Or maybe I’m just not as nuts as I used to be.
Are you?
