The Athletic, rising cost of being a fan

[richard levy]

What happens when college football games are only for the rich? Some faithful fans are finding out

Special moments and memories attending college football games are priceless — until they aren't.

www.nytimes.com

 

[sufandu]

It's happening with everything: home ownership, new car purchasing, vacations, etc. More and more normal income people are getting priced out because businesses have figured out it's more profitable to sell fewer of whatever at a higher price than it is to sell higher volume at a lower price.

 

[Cusefan95]

It's happening with everything: home ownership, new car purchasing, vacations, etc. More and more normal income people are getting priced out because businesses have figured out it's more profitable to sell fewer of whatever at a higher price than it is to sell higher volume at a lower price.

I had an accounting professor in business school 25 years ago who predicted the US was going to collapse and disintegrate in 2033. His reasons were almost entirely related to fiscal policy - but if he was still alive, I would love to have a conversation with him now to hear how he thinks monetary policy and increasing economic inequality (which is driving what you are talking about) is now contributing to the decline of the US.

 

[721Comstock]

I had an accounting professor in business school 25 years ago who predicted the US was going to collapse and disintegrate in 2033. His reasons were almost entirely related to fiscal policy - but if he was still alive, I would love to have a conversation with him now to hear how he thinks monetary policy and increasing economic inequality (which is driving what you are talking about) is now contributing to the decline of the US.

Sadly, like everything else -
History may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.

This is not the US’s first rodeo when it comes to economic inequality leading to rough times.

Southern oligarchs wanting to protect and enshrine their source of wealth - slavery -
led to the civli war.

The “Gilded Age” (which Mar a Lardo often lovingly refers to) led to the Panic of 1907, and indirectly to WWI.

The “Roaring 20’s” led to the Great Depression and WWII.

We then had decades of middle class prosperity and relative income equality,
Until Saint Ronnie and “trickle down economics” happened.

Since then, poor and middle class incomes have stagnated,
while the top 1% have seen unprecedented increases in their wealth.

And here we are.
Yet again.

 

[Cusefan95]

Sadly, like everything else -
History may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.

This is not the US’s first rodeo when it comes to economic inequality leading to rough times.

Southern oligarchs wanting to protect and enshrine their source of wealth - slavery -
led to the civli war.

The “Gilded Age” (which Mar a Lardo often lovingly refers to) led to the Panic of 1907, and indirectly to WWI.

The “Roaring 20’s” led to the Great Depression and WWII.

We then had decades of middle class prosperity and relative income equality,
Until Saint Ronnie and “trickle down economics” happened.

Since then, poor and middle class incomes have stagnated,
while the top 1% have seen unprecedented increases in their wealth.

And here we are.
Yet again.

Eh. I think most people get hung up on politics are supporting their team while vilifying the other one. Both parties have held power over the last 50 years though - our issues aren’t specific to the philosophy of either party. The issue is that the generally accepted ideas of how an economy works are wrong in ways that means every action creates multiple new issues. People who think electing the “right” politicians is the solution aren’t even in the neighborhood of an actual solution.

That should be the terrifying takeaway - based on our presuppositions about the way the economy works, all rational decisions made by either (possibly any) party leads to ruin. If we don’t reexamine our presuppositions, we’re screwed.

“The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else.” - John Maynard Keynes

PS - There’s always a silver lining in every cloud. Syracuse reducing seating capacity so they could increase revenue overall was driven by the mentality in the article. So the upside is we got seatbacks at the Dome and can be more comfortable watching games until the collapse.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Eh. I think most people get hung up on politics are supporting their team while vilifying the other one. Both parties have held power over the last 50 years though - our issues aren’t specific to the philosophy of either party. The issue is that the generally accepted ideas of how an economy works are wrong in ways that means every action creates multiple new issues. People who think electing the “right” politicians is the solution aren’t even in the neighborhood of an actual solution.

That should be the terrifying takeaway - based on our presuppositions about the way the economy works, all rational decisions made by either (possibly any) party leads to ruin. If we don’t reexamine our presuppositions, we’re screwed.

“The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else.” - John Maynard Keynes

PS - There’s always a silver lining in every cloud. Syracuse reducing seating capacity so they could increase revenue overall was driven by the mentality in the article. So the upside is we got seatbacks at the Dome and can be more comfortable watching games until the collapse.

If anyone thinks we have anything but a uniparty system of elites in power at this point I'm not sure what to tell them. People that Champion either political party at this point given the metric ton of evidence that neither Red nor Blue teams give a rip are bizarre.

But yes, Dome renovations look great. Hell maybe we can sell seats and people can attend proxy via seat cameras and cheer via built in microphones?

 

[GoSU96]

Sadly, like everything else -
History may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.

This is not the US’s first rodeo when it comes to economic inequality leading to rough times.

Southern oligarchs wanting to protect and enshrine their source of wealth - slavery -
led to the civli war.

The “Gilded Age” (which Mar a Lardo often lovingly refers to) led to the Panic of 1907, and indirectly to WWI.

The “Roaring 20’s” led to the Great Depression and WWII.

We then had decades of middle class prosperity and relative income equality,
Until Saint Ronnie and “trickle down economics” happened.

Since then, poor and middle class incomes have stagnated,
while the top 1% have seen unprecedented increases in their wealth.

And here we are.
Yet again.

Tax and deregulation policy in the 80’s is not making attending sporting events more expensive.

There is a limited supply and the market sets the price. The 1% are not going to college football games.

 

[upperdeck]

The issue is that when the price was decent ay 50% might go. now 20% might go.