Sports are universal. They are something that happen everywhere and that help unite people. In one way or another everyone ends up involved in sports at some point in their life. It can be as a player, a coach, a mascot, a cheerleader, someone who watches the games, and so on. The point being, sports are something everyone wants to be a part of. Now, everyone is aware that to participate in any way you have to pay. Whether it’s for uniforms or for tickets, chances are that you’re going to dish out some cash at some point. According to an article in Time.com written by Brad Tuttle, entitled ‘Freaking Ridiculous’ NFL Stadium Seat Fees Cost Thousands- But Fans Pay Up, sometimes the price can be quite high.
It seems as though the new thing to do when it comes to charging sports fans, is something known as PSL’s, or personal seat licenses. These fees start from $10,000 and go up to $150,000. These fees don’t include tickets, they must be paid by anyone who wants to buy season tickets. So, you’re paying so that you can pay, basically. The crazy thing is, that as incredibly absurd as this sounds, people are still doing it. A Vikings fan was quoted as saying, “I’ve just been a part of the experience for too many years to let it go away, and sit at home and watch it.” To me that is just ridiculous. These fees don’t make sense, no matter what anyone says, but they exist because people are willing to pay them. I’m willing to bet that if fans refused to pay for them and stopped buying tickets for at least a season, there wouldn’t be any choice but to get rid of them.
I can understand that sometimes it seems sacrilegious to break tradition. I can understand wanting to continue going to games because it’s just the way that things have been. And of course I can understand enjoying going to games and having that experience. However, I’m not sure that a tradition is worth $150,000 dollars, not including tickets themselves. It’s just not the way that things work. The world is changing and so I know that things will not cost the same as they did twenty years ago. But, that doesn’t mean that people should have to put up with an incredibly high increase in the prices of recreational activities. As the consumers we have the power to change things. We don’t have to just go with what is dictated and pay the amount that we’re told we have to. If we take a stand, the prices will change, because if we aren’t buying, who will?
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