shaneo69
06-05-2007, 03:41 PM
DAWES: CALL & RESPONSE – "Coalition of the Willing"
Jun 03, 2007, 5:04:39 AM by Rufus Dawes
Q: I love the Chiefs but the price of tickets has become a bit much for me. Much as I hate to admit it, I’m thinking about giving them up…. I suppose I could still see (games) on television or hit my brother-in-law up for his (tickets) every once in a while. (Ed. note: the gentleman did not give up his tickets.)
RUFUS DAWES: I’m one of the “Coalition of the Willing,” to risk repeating an unpopular phrase, as in I’m willing to pay whatever tickets are going for to Chiefs home games these days. When I tear open my invoice it’s usually the first time I realize what it’s going to cost me that year. But never do I expect it to cost me less than the previous year. Never.
But that’s just me. I’m single, have no growing family, but I suppose I can count other expenses that others may not have (elderly medical care, for example)
As my various offerings to this site would seem to indicate, Chiefs football is something I enjoy and value. As a general rule, I accept the cost of sports and entertainment for whatever it is and if I don’t think it’s worth it to me personally – and there are those times and events that I used to enjoy and don’t any longer – I pass. But I’m not going to go postal every time I hear that prices are going up. If you reach that stage it’s not entertaining any more and you need to move on.
People who like higher prices are the rarest of birds on the endangered species list. But liking and accepting the inevitability of higher prices are two different things. What prices aren’t going up? How many items do you buy that actually show a consistent decrease in price? Movies cost more and the average movie lasts less than a football game. Concerts are expensive and the main act generally doesn’t come on until well past my bedtime and plays even less than the starters do in a pre-season game. Cover charges at bars go up and patrons are charged more for the drinks if there is a band playing.
A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a friend who lives in New Jersey who was telling me about taking his wife and daughter to Sesame Place. The tab was $13 to park and for three of them came to $89 just to enter the park. Does that seem a bit steep to you? It did to me but my friend thought nothing of it.
Spending our hard-earned dollars on entertainment is about making choices. And for things you like they aren’t hard – not for me when it’s Chiefs football and not for my friend when it’s something his child loves. Around Memorial Day the media was all agog about the price of gas and how it would impact travel over the holiday weekend. Well, it turns out it didn’t. Travel was still strong. For whatever reason, people will not alter something they enjoy no matter what it costs.
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2007/06/03/dawes_call__response__coalition_of_the_willing/
Jun 03, 2007, 5:04:39 AM by Rufus Dawes
Q: I love the Chiefs but the price of tickets has become a bit much for me. Much as I hate to admit it, I’m thinking about giving them up…. I suppose I could still see (games) on television or hit my brother-in-law up for his (tickets) every once in a while. (Ed. note: the gentleman did not give up his tickets.)
RUFUS DAWES: I’m one of the “Coalition of the Willing,” to risk repeating an unpopular phrase, as in I’m willing to pay whatever tickets are going for to Chiefs home games these days. When I tear open my invoice it’s usually the first time I realize what it’s going to cost me that year. But never do I expect it to cost me less than the previous year. Never.
But that’s just me. I’m single, have no growing family, but I suppose I can count other expenses that others may not have (elderly medical care, for example)
As my various offerings to this site would seem to indicate, Chiefs football is something I enjoy and value. As a general rule, I accept the cost of sports and entertainment for whatever it is and if I don’t think it’s worth it to me personally – and there are those times and events that I used to enjoy and don’t any longer – I pass. But I’m not going to go postal every time I hear that prices are going up. If you reach that stage it’s not entertaining any more and you need to move on.
People who like higher prices are the rarest of birds on the endangered species list. But liking and accepting the inevitability of higher prices are two different things. What prices aren’t going up? How many items do you buy that actually show a consistent decrease in price? Movies cost more and the average movie lasts less than a football game. Concerts are expensive and the main act generally doesn’t come on until well past my bedtime and plays even less than the starters do in a pre-season game. Cover charges at bars go up and patrons are charged more for the drinks if there is a band playing.
A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a friend who lives in New Jersey who was telling me about taking his wife and daughter to Sesame Place. The tab was $13 to park and for three of them came to $89 just to enter the park. Does that seem a bit steep to you? It did to me but my friend thought nothing of it.
Spending our hard-earned dollars on entertainment is about making choices. And for things you like they aren’t hard – not for me when it’s Chiefs football and not for my friend when it’s something his child loves. Around Memorial Day the media was all agog about the price of gas and how it would impact travel over the holiday weekend. Well, it turns out it didn’t. Travel was still strong. For whatever reason, people will not alter something they enjoy no matter what it costs.
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2007/06/03/dawes_call__response__coalition_of_the_willing/