Falcons give fans a break with prices
After discussions with my financial advisor, I’ve decided what to do with my $1,000 tax-cut bonus.
I’m going to buy some chicken fingers, french fries and a large Diet Coke at a Magic game. Then I’ll donate the remaining $32.94 to the homeless shelter.
I’m kidding, of course, because the Sentinel is withholding my bonus until I win a Pulitzer.
As for food prices at sports events, there was bombshell news this week. The Atlanta Falcons’ great concession experiment is a huuuuge success.
You might recall the Falcons tried “Fan First Pricing” in their new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Stuff like hotdogs and popcorn were $2, pizza and nachos $3, beer was $5 and soft drinks were $2 — with free refills!
Instead of losing money, the Falcons cashed in.
They dropped prices 50 percent from what they were in the old Georgia Dome, and the amount of money spent per fan increased 16 percent.
When other teams were asked if they will emulate Atlanta’s plan for hungry fans, the response was, “Let them eat cake, at $12 per slice.”
As we all know, most leagues practice “Fan Last Pricing.” As a capitalist, I’m all for businesses charging whatever the market will bear. But there’s a difference between profiting and gouging.
The average price of a beer at an NFL game is $7.38. A soda (no refills) and pretzel combo at last year’s Super Bowl was $17. A vegan burger at Super Bowl 50 was $15.
I could go on, but anyone who’s had to take out a bank loan to feed their family at a game knows the drill. Teams argue they need to maximize revenue in order to pay guys like
$375,000 a game. Thanks to the Falcons, we now have evidence they can lower concession prices and still make money. Not only that, fed-up fans won’t go home with a bad taste in their mouths.
Unless they ate a vegan burger, of course. COMMENTARY the same this year,” a spokesman said.
Translation: “You’ve got to be kidding.”
I think there’s a great marketing opportunity here.
Every 10th loss, the Magic should cut concession prices 10 percent. The team would still make money and fans would feel more appreciated.
It’d be a win-win, which is one more win than the Magic usually provide in a month.
The 89-year-old supermodel landed a campaign with Bespoke mascara. Other than
once modeling Bespoke mascara, I can’t think of a sports angle here. I just think it’s cool that
isn’t the only old-timer still at the top of their game.
Eagles fans during the playoffs.
One was arrested each of the past two weeks for slugging a police horse. There’s a
joke there somewhere, but I don’t want to get political.
Runner-up: Detroit water customers.
Four human kidneys and a heart were found in the filters at a water treatment plant last week.
There’s a vegan burger joke there, but I don’t want to get gross.
I really have no business griping about Magic concession prices because I’ve eaten approximately $28,942 worth of delicious and nutritious pregame media meals over the past two decades.
But I did buy my family dinner at Disney On Ice once. There are only seven more installments on the loan I had to take out.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport reversed the drug suspension of U.S. sprinter
last week. It bought Roberts’ defense that the drug was in his system due to passionate kissing of his girlfriend, who took a banned medicine for a sinus infection. In related news,
filed for the restoration of his seven Tour de France titles based on the fact that at the time he was dating
The Hornets reportedly are trying to trade
to the Falcons for a $2 hotdog.
Not Fake News: On the same day announced the return of the XFL, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists pushed the symbolic “Doomsday Clock” to two minutes before midnight, signifying humanity is that much closer to the apocalypse.
Correction: actually gets paid $375,609.76 per game, making him one of the 17 people in Denver who can afford to eat at a Nuggets game.