Spending Quality Time Means Spending Top Dollar

It is World Series time, so even though I do not know anything about baseball I am going to pretend I do (like most people during this time). Baseball is known as America's "national pastime." The only thing more American than baseball is Betsy Ross singing "God Bless the USA," eating an apple pie, and driving off in her brand new Chevy. Baseball is meant to be the common man's game. Something father, son, mother, daughter, and annoying in-law who never leaves can all enjoy together. That is, if you wish to watch it on television. If you would like to see it in person you better get ready to kiss that vacation goodbye; you are going to need that money for tickets. Let us take the Boston Red Sox for example, since I have heard a rumor that a few of their fans attend PC. The cheapest seat where you can actually sit down is $30 a ticket. "That's not too bad," you might be thinking, but consider this. If a family of four wants to go to a Red Sox game, that is $120 out of their pocket. Not to mention parking, which if they are lucky will be $40 a game. Add in a few Fenway Franks, some drinks, Red Sox t-shirts/hats, and popcorn, and it's possible that this whole event will cost around $400. All of this is ONLY if they can get tickets to begin with. The baseball regular season is just barely over yet the tickets for next year are already on sale. Why is this? It is because these tickets sell faster than snacks at a reggae concert. This is also the cheapest option. If you want seats where you can actually see the field, they run from $50 all the way up to $325! It is a good thing that I hate baseball, otherwise I would be broke. But this trend is not restricted to baseball. Some things that are also "American" are Broadway musicals. You can all pretend like you do not like musicals, but as soon as the lights go down and people in costumes start dancing around and using "jazz hands" your heart secretly leaps for joy. Let us say the same family of four would like to go see a production of Billy Elliot. They saw the movie and just love to see that boy dance. So they go online to check out ticket prices. The cheapest tickets are $41 a person. If they want to actually see Billy dance his heart out the tickets are $136 a person. They are not going to pay up to $400 to see a boy dance around in tights when they can rent the movie for $5 a month on Netflix. Plus they would have to pay for a train ride down to New York City and possibly a hotel. By the time it is all over they might have to remortgage the house! So instead they decide to stay local. Wicked is coming to the Providence Performing Arts Center and the kids want to see some witches singing. To sit in the nosebleed section the lowest ticket prices are $53. That is more than Broadway! Sorry kids, guess you're going to have to wait for that filmed version of Cats to appear on PBS to get your musical theater fix. My point is this: Things like sporting events and theater are where we get some of our greatest memories of spending time with our family and friends. They are things that are supposed to be a common denominator between all people. Increasingly, however, they are left to be only enjoyed by those with a large disposable income. That is not the way it should be. Everyone should be able to take in a show like Wicked or Billy Elliot or see their beloved Sox play, without having to seriously consider the financial pain it might inflict.