Say goodbye to the nosebleed section
Matt Wilhalme
The economic crisis of 2008 is in full swing. Investors are scrambling to assure their clients all over the United States, and now the world, that all is not lost and that eventually the markets will turn around and reward savvy investors with profits, eventually.
Now entering the beginning of basketball season and the halfway point of football season, how will these major sports organizations adapt to the changing economic climate?
Cheaper ticket prices perhaps, or maybe a cut in the exuberant salaries many professional athletes are being paid these days.
It might be a good idea for the Phoenix Suns to ask Shaquille O’Neal if he wouldn’t mind giving the team back some of his $21,000,000 salary this year so they can lower ticket prices.
Think of it as a sign of good faith to the fans, Shaq.
The NBA has already cut nine percent of its work force across America as a preemptive measure to offset possible drops in ticket sales and revenue in the upcoming season.
The Charlotte Bobcats have even made an additional cut to their own clubhouse.
Baseball got lucky; their season is ending just as the Dow Jones starts its tumultuous descent towards zero.
However, this may lead to some off-season changes around the league.
Lofty signing bonuses, and the average contract offered to free agents and rookie players may take a dive. Sorry rookies.
One might even feel a little bad for the NFL teams across the country in the midst of upgrading their facilities or constructing entirely new stadiums.
Many companies, who at one point may have been interested in sponsorship opportunities, are reeling back and forth with the erratic daily activity of the Dow Jones.
Ticket prices for sporting events must go down if sports teams are going to fill their respective arenas with screaming fans.
More seats filled means higher ticket sales, more merchandise sales, and a better bottom line.
The average price for a ticket to an Arizona Cardinals game will cost $65.08, which is a 14.8 percent increase from last year, according to Team Marketing Report.
It seems a shame that a little bit of sports culture is slowly creeping out of financial reach for many.
What happened to the family outing to the ball park for a little bonding over hot dogs and sports talk?
Many season ticketholders fork over the money for their tickets up front and then turn around and try to gouge the rest of the population who could not afford the expensive sports ticket packages.
Local club teams for various sports can offer a cheap way to enjoy the thrill of competition in person, without setting ones wallet on fire.
Better yet, why not attend a sporting event at MCC?
Junior college level athletics do not have all the sponsorship and salary caps of professional teams.
But one can still enjoy a close game where every play matters and the slightest error in judgment can be the difference between a rush of the crowd onto the center of the playing field, and a quiet shuffle out of the gates.
There is always plenty of great seating and what better way to develop a a community here at MCC and strengthen the rivalries within our conference.
Some of our teams are actually surprisingly good, with athletes who will move on to major universities to play and possibly even move onto a professional level, eventually.
No matter what preference one has, we all are aware of the tough times in store for us.
Someday we may look back and say, when everyone was panicking at the uncertainty of the future, at least we were able to keep ourselves busy with sports.
