The death of the "affordable" Saturday afternoon
in Hobbies & Leisure ·
I was looking at some old photos of my dad taking me to games back in the late 90s, and it hit me just how much the entire experience of being a fan has shifted. Back then, you could basically show up with a handful of twenties, grab a hot dog that was probably questionable, and find a decent seat if you were willing to stand in the aisles or sit in the nosebleeds. It felt like a community event—something that belonged to the town and the students.
Nowadays, it feels like every major sporting event has been transformed into a high-stakes luxury experience. It’s no longer just about the game; it’s about the "event." Everything is tiered, stratified, and increasingly inaccessible to the average person who just loves the sport. You look at the logistics of even getting into a stadium these days, and it’s like you need a PhD in logistics and a massive line of credit just to sit in the upper deck.
I’m not saying I don't want comfort. I love a good stadium seat and I don't mind paying a little extra for a better view. But there’s a growing sense of exclusion in collegiate athletics that really bothers me. College sports used to be the great equalizer. Whether you were a student, a local blue-collar worker, or a wealthy alum, you were all part of the same sea of colors, screaming at the same referee. Now, there’s this massive, widening gap between the "premium" experience—where you're basically sitting in a corporate lounge eating artisanal sliders—and the rest of us who are just trying to witness history without taking out a second mortgage.
It feels like the soul of the game is being slowly traded for "revenue optimization." When you start seeing ticket prices for regular-season games rivaling what people used to pay for the Super Bowl or major international tournaments, you have to wonder where the "fan" ends and the "consumer" begins. If the people who actually build the culture and provide the atmosphere are priced out, what are we actually left with? Just a bunch of people in expensive seats watching a broadcast on a giant screen because, honestly, the view is probably better from the couch anyway.
I’ve noticed this isn’t just limited to football, either. It’s happening in music festivals, it’s happening in theater, and it’s even creeping into some of the smaller hobbyist conventions. It’s this creeping corporatization of leisure. We are being funneled into these hyper-curated, hyper-expensive experiences where the goal isn't the activity itself, but the social capital you gain from being seen at the "right" venue.
I find myself hesitating more and more before committing to big outings. I’ll see a schedule or a lineup and think, "Is this really worth the three months of budgeting?" It’s a weird kind of grief, mourning the loss of something that used to feel so effortless and communal. I miss the days when the excitement was purely about the matchup, not about whether or not you could navigate a predatory secondary market just to get through the gates.
I’m curious to hear from the rest of you. Do you feel like your favorite hobbies or spectator sports are becoming too expensive to actually enjoy? Or am I just being a cynical old man who misses the days of cheap beer and plastic seats? At what point does a "premium experience" stop being a luxury and start being a barrier to the very culture it’s supposed to be celebrating?
Nowadays, it feels like every major sporting event has been transformed into a high-stakes luxury experience. It’s no longer just about the game; it’s about the "event." Everything is tiered, stratified, and increasingly inaccessible to the average person who just loves the sport. You look at the logistics of even getting into a stadium these days, and it’s like you need a PhD in logistics and a massive line of credit just to sit in the upper deck.
I’m not saying I don't want comfort. I love a good stadium seat and I don't mind paying a little extra for a better view. But there’s a growing sense of exclusion in collegiate athletics that really bothers me. College sports used to be the great equalizer. Whether you were a student, a local blue-collar worker, or a wealthy alum, you were all part of the same sea of colors, screaming at the same referee. Now, there’s this massive, widening gap between the "premium" experience—where you're basically sitting in a corporate lounge eating artisanal sliders—and the rest of us who are just trying to witness history without taking out a second mortgage.
It feels like the soul of the game is being slowly traded for "revenue optimization." When you start seeing ticket prices for regular-season games rivaling what people used to pay for the Super Bowl or major international tournaments, you have to wonder where the "fan" ends and the "consumer" begins. If the people who actually build the culture and provide the atmosphere are priced out, what are we actually left with? Just a bunch of people in expensive seats watching a broadcast on a giant screen because, honestly, the view is probably better from the couch anyway.
I’ve noticed this isn’t just limited to football, either. It’s happening in music festivals, it’s happening in theater, and it’s even creeping into some of the smaller hobbyist conventions. It’s this creeping corporatization of leisure. We are being funneled into these hyper-curated, hyper-expensive experiences where the goal isn't the activity itself, but the social capital you gain from being seen at the "right" venue.
I find myself hesitating more and more before committing to big outings. I’ll see a schedule or a lineup and think, "Is this really worth the three months of budgeting?" It’s a weird kind of grief, mourning the loss of something that used to feel so effortless and communal. I miss the days when the excitement was purely about the matchup, not about whether or not you could navigate a predatory secondary market just to get through the gates.
I’m curious to hear from the rest of you. Do you feel like your favorite hobbies or spectator sports are becoming too expensive to actually enjoy? Or am I just being a cynical old man who misses the days of cheap beer and plastic seats? At what point does a "premium experience" stop being a luxury and start being a barrier to the very culture it’s supposed to be celebrating?