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Are you ready for some football? This is the opening weekend of the NFL season, and I’ve watched a grand total of 0 games. I did watch some highlights and a part of the Sunday night game, but that was it. Granted, I’m a Giants fan and they don’t play until tonight, but I’m not sure I’ll catch that in its entirety either. This type of behavior would be unheard of for me back in my sports fanatic days.
As I have mentioned in the past, I’ve never had cable television and didn’t have it growing up. I loved watching the NFL, NBA and MLB, and while football wasn’t a problem since it was generally available on broadcast television, I often couldn’t watch most Knicks or my Yankees on television (well Yankee games were somewhat available). I would listen to the games on the radio. No, I’m not an old-timer growing up before the invention of television, this was the 1980s and 1990s. I would also watch the highlights of the games during the 5 minute sports section of the local evening news. I waited in anticipation of actually seeing the highlights of what I heard on the radio! I also READ the box scores in the next days newspaper and knew every player on every team, even the last man on the bench. So, yes, I think I can say that I was a sports fanatic.
I still remember vividly watching the Knicks take on the Bulls in a crucial Game Five of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals (some playoff games were available on broadcast television). In the final seconds of the game, with the Knicks trying to take the lead, Charles Smith of the Knicks attempted 4 layups but they were either blocked or he missed. The Knicks would go on to lose that game and the series. I was devastated! I ripped up a nearby newspaper which had Michael Jordan’s face on it. I screamed in anguish and turned off the television, and stormed off into my room. My dad was watching the game, when I suddenly turned it off and vented my frustration. He came to my room and asked me why I was making such a big fuss. He said that it was just a game and that the players make millions of dollars playing it. I’m not sure that was too reassuring or whether I cared what he said at that point, but he’s right.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with being passionate about sports. It is highly entertaining and it’s wonderful to have something to follow, to cheer for. However, with the great costs which is generally involved in watching sports or attending sporting events, sometimes, you need to reevaluate your priorities. Natalie who blogs at FinanceGirl posted an article recently which mentions a listener question on the Dave Ramsey show. The listener wanted to spend $1500 to go to a football game, and yet did not have an emergency fund saved. Ramsey said that while he loves sports, “it’s a game; you don’t put that ahead of your family’s financial foundation.”
I know many people who are not in the best financial shape, but go to great lengths to follow their favorite teams. They travel to away games and have season tickets to the home games, and pretty much nothing can prevent them from missing any game. They put watching and cheering for their team as priority #1, no matter the costs (financial or otherwise). Watching sports not only costs hundreds of dollars (whether you buy tickets to games or have a subscription that shows the games), it also takes up a lot of your time.
Once again, there’s nothing wrong with watching sports. Just remember that ultimately, “it’s only a game.” A game where the owners are raking in billions and the players are making millions from the money spent by the fans. I’ll still watch games, but I’m no longer a sports fanatic. Although even as a sports fanatic, I’ve never spent a whole lot of money on it. I’ve never had a cable subscription and have only attended a few basketball and baseball games. Football tickets were always way too expensive. Nowadays with the picture quality of televisions, I wonder why many fans still spend hundreds on tickets. If you like the raucous atmosphere of being at the event, you can have your sports fanatic friends over or go to a sports bar.
How about you? Are you a sports fanatic? What’s the most you’ve spent on a sporting event?
Like this post LRC. I have to say that I love sports too and probably was watching the same game you were in 93′ although I’m a bulls fan so I was cheering:) I however, also like the stinkin Cowboys and it used to be hard for me to watch them lose…then I realized that I had no vestment in them (except for maybe a fantasy player) and I should watch for enjoyment and laugh at how bad they are and have become. Now when they lose on Sunday it doesn’t take me until Wednesday to get over it. Oh well…looks like the NFC east is going to suck this year anyways.
Thanks Old School! It must have been good to be a Bulls fan then. As for the Cowboys…well you’ll always have the 90’s before Jerry Jones got rid of Jimmy Johnson. Well they did win with Barry Switzer too I guess. I don’t take losses too hard at all anymore either. The Eagles look pretty good…well their offense seems exciting.
I love sports. I am a die hard Yankees fan and would watch every game that I could watch. I love this time of year with college football and NFL starting up, but the amount of time I actually watch sports has dropped a lot. I’m so busy that I just don’t have time or feel like I need to do something else. That doesn’t mean I never watch it, but we cut the cord over 1 1/2 years ago and haven’t looked back. All the highlights are online and it doesn’t take up my whole day. I’ll sit down and watch when it gets to the finals or world series or super bowl.
I do like to go to Utah Jazz games but I don’t pay for tickets. I know people with tickets and do trades with writing press releases or something to get the tickets. People with season tickets never go to all the games so I can get in 2-3 games a year for free down low close to the court. Sports are awesome but they don’t control my finances or time.
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Yea, watching sports takes up a lot of time…time that I don’t really have to spend on it. It really can take up a whole day or more… The season for most sports really is too long…not much interest until the postseason.
I’m not a sports fanatic, “boooo” for me! I only watched sport games on TV, especially boxing because of Manny P. , well because I’m a Filipino. 🙂
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I remember a few years ago when Pacman was everywhere…it was exciting. I don’t like boxing but even I wanted to watch. Well it’s hard to waste too much time watching Manny P. since it’s not like there are that many matches!
I’m a sports fanatic for sure. I don’t think I’ve ever spent the big dollars for a game. I think the most I have spent is $100 each on some Cubs tickets. I have bought and sold tickets over the years to make some extra cash but still $100 was the limits. We have traveled for a game or two but it’s all in the financial budget, like a small weekend get away that most people take it just involves a little sporting event.
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What? $100 for Cubs tickets? I hope this was back in the day when Mark Prior and Kerry Wood were pitching them into the postseason. =) j/k but the Cubs are a work in progress at the moment right? Nothing wrong with spending some money on the game if you’re entertained by it and it fits your budget.
My hubby is definitely into football, he and most of his family were born in Pittsburgh, so he is a die hard Steelers fan and usually calls his dad after every game even the Sunday or Monday night games. My son is into soccer, but loves watching just about any sport live. We have gone to see games thanks to Groupon, but would never make it a financial priority in our lives. I understand the passion; however, sometimes it is just as much fun to watch a game in a fan bar for just a few bucks in beers rather than spend hundreds of dollars in the stadium.
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Yea, I still don’t know why you had to switch your loyalties =) Although I don’t think Big Blue is going to have a great season so that’s understandable. I’ve mainly seen Mets tickets on Groupon…among other discount sites and giveaways! I do agree that it can be fun to watch at a fan bar rather than fight the traffic getting in and out of the stadium to watch it live.
I wouldn’t call myself a fanatic, but have always loved the NBA (especially when it was on broadcast TV). I paid a crazy amount of money to see the Knicks play Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden – we had come all the way from Australia and I’d always wanted to see a live NBA game. It was an awesome experience, but fair to say it probably wasn’t worth what I spent – especially when I found out that 2 nights earlier there was a thrilling overtime game against Boston that would have cost around 1/4 of what I paid!!
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You were rooting for the Knicks right?! Well you came all the way from Australia so, hey…it was a “once in a lifetime” type experience!
I like sports, but I’m by no means a fanatic. I play fantasy football just to keep up with the players and the standings. We don’t have cable either, so the only games I watch are at other people’s houses or sports bars. I don’t let sports control my life and my finances like so many people do. I have never spent money on a sporting game, only went to games I have had free ticket for. lol
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I used to play Fantasy baseball…I don’t know how I kept up with it…there are soooo many games!
I’m lucky I’m not a sports fan (save for hockey, but not obsessed), so I don’t spend much in that arena. I know when people have asked me to go to some LA Kings games they get excited to say, “it’s ONLY $75!” ONLY? 🙂 I guess it’s al relative depending on your income. But I’m seriously wondering if some people are not going way over their heads, especially when you think that at the games the food and the drink is REALLY outrageous!
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Congrats to your Kings…You’re right, not only is the ticket expensive, but it gives you the privilege to pay exorbitant food and drink prices! That and parking if you drive in.
I am not a sports fanatic AT ALL. I can’t understand why people care whether a random team wins or loses. I just don’t get it.
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Is Greg a recovering sports fanatic?
I’m a huge sports fan, especially of the Steelers. Now a days, I’m pretty frugal about it, to the point that I negotiate with DirecTV to pay for the NFL package. ($99 this year, instead of the $350 sticker price.) Still, in my younger days I’d shell out quite a lot for games. When the Steelers made their Super Bowl run back in 2005, I went to Indianapolis and Denver on two consecutive weekends to see both playoff games. It was costly, and now that I think of it, that was the start of my credit card debt…
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Wow, pretty good. You have some awesome negotiation skills. Hey at least the Steelers won those games…it would have sucked to have spent so much to watch them lose.
I like sports and try to watch the playoffs and big events whenever possible, but I don’t think that makes me a fanatic. For one, I don’t have a favorite team. I also don’t watch regular season games, except maybe a game of football here or there. I didn’t even know football season started already, I thought it was still preseason. So I really don’t spend money on sports. I went to a Mets game once and to a Nets game once because I got free tickets, but I wouldn’t pay to go see a game.
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No I don’t think you’re a fanatic. Big events are pretty exciting and most average fans will watch too. The Mets seem to be trying to give away tickets!
I’m not a fanatic about sports at all, and have to admit I don’t quite understand the mentality behind it. I know there’s a sub-culture and all that, but I’ve never been that interested or invested in a team. My family likes baseball, hockey, and football, but they’ve never done anything crazy as far as I know. They just won’t give up cable =). $1,500 to go to a game just sounds a little outlandish!
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I think I can understand the mentality behind it because I’ve been there…though I was a teenager back in my sports fanatic days. It’s expected that my priorities are aligned differently. But nowadays…sports are much lower on the totem pole. $1500 is pretty insane!
When I was single, we used to head to Chicago from MN and see the Cubbies games. We even went to AZ once for spring training games. It was spendy, but fun. I used to be a football fanatic too, and we’d head to the bar every Sunday for the Vikings game. Not much time for that these days, which is fine by me. 🙂
Wow, I didn’t know you were such a big sports fan. I used to go with my friends every Sunday to the bar to catch all the games too…it was practically an all day event. Some of my friends went out the next night for Monday Night Football. Not much time for that for me either!
LOL, yeah, marriage and kids definitely change things, but for the better, IMHO. 🙂
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This may sound stereotypical, but I think being a sports fan is generally more of a guy thing, although I know there are females out there who are sports fans. A lot of the times though, I think they became sports fans, because their boyfriend/husband was a sports fan.
My fiance plays hockey and he’ll watch a hockey game here and there, but he’s not a hard core hockey fan. We have two tvs, so we never have to argue about who gets to watch what. Lol.
I don’t find watching sports on tv fun. Maybe if I was at a bar with some friends, then it would be fun. If anything, I would rather see the sporting event live. Over the summer I went to see a Jays’ game. Normally I find baseball to be the 2nd most boring sport in the world (golf is number 1), but since it was live, it was more exciting. The energy from the crowd made it that more exciting and fun to watch. Oh, the alcohol probably helped too. 🙂
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Yea I do think it is more a guy thing…though some women are also very passionate about it. I know what you mean about seeing a game live because more exciting…though I also enjoy watching in the comfort of my own home so I can do other things while keeping an eye on the game. If it’s a big game like playoffs and you’re at a sports bar with many fans rooting for your team…there’s a great energy too…not the same as being at the game but similar (and there’s the alcohol there too!)
My wife got us two $80 seats for a Twins game on my bday a few years ago…but she did get her ticket for free, so that’s misleading. Our family friend sold two banks he owned and has season tickets to all the teams. He always gives my wife hers for free and just charges us for one, it’s a great deal. To answer your question, I’m way too into college and professional football and it takes up a lot of my time on the weekends.
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I go to Chicago to watch the Cubbies games and follow their games even it is held outside the state. I and my wife would really pay for tickets, food, and a lot more. We even go to nearby restaurants and do sight-seeing. Now, we have been into watching football since the olympics and would go to bar when our favorite would be playing.
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Sorry that your a Cubbies fan =) J/k! They seem to have some good young players so maybe that curse will eventually break!
Obviously, I agree with this! 🙂 I definitely think that loving football is okay, but it most certainly is in the “entertainment” part of your life, which should be a lower priority than health, relationships, and finances.
I’m not a big football fan but I follow the nba. I wouldn’t call myself a fanatic but I’ve been a fan for years and have been to a lot of games at the garden. I typically won’t be willing to pay much but I think the most I’ve spent is $150 for a ticket to a knicks game during the linsanity era. Sure, maybe not a lot to some but a lot for me. And I definitely got suckered in by all my asian friends 🙂 It was fun though and we probably won’t see something like that again any time soon for the knicks! ha!
Ahh Linsanity…that was an exciting time! Yea, I would have liked to have been at the Garden during that stretch!
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We usually spring and go to a Rams game each year (and a Cards game or two), as we are in St. Louis. I’m a big sports fan, myself, and love going to games.
However, this year my Rammies look pretty bad. I think I will probably hold off..
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Great post Andrew! I remember that Bulls/Knicks game and was a huge Bulls fan’ living in Chicago at the time, and my response was a little different. 😉 However, I do remember getting a similar talk from my Dad after my excitement. 🙂 Anyway, I love sports and there was a time where I’d watch pretty much anything. That has changed a ton since becoming a father. I used to watch NFL games for hours at a time and have been given NFL Sunday Ticket for free by DirecTV twice over the past three years. I think I’ve maybe watched a grand total of two games. That said, my one downfall is college football. My youngest brother and I have season tickets to my alma mater – Kansas State. I pay for it myself out of side gig money and other than that, I could really care less what happens in anything else.
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Haha, yea…must have been nice being a Bulls fan at that time! I used to watch a lot…it started dwindling after getting married and then having a child. My alma mater really isn’t in much sports so I don’t follow them, and I’m not really a big college sports fan…except March Madness.
nice post as usual! baseball and football both are my favorite sports but I see some aggressive attitudes of the players in the west. Really a good writing.
I watch a game or two throughout the week of whatever is in season. (Mostly Football / Basketball) I usually tune in after halftime to save some time for other activities before I get plugged in. I rarely go to the actual events because it is a major inconvenience in time and money. I was actually a Bulls fan as I hated Ewing growing up.
Sometimes I tune in during halftime to watch all the highlights (usually football). I wasn’t a big Ewing fan and was a big fan of John Starks…loved his grocery bagger to NBA star journey.
During my younger years, I’m a basketball fanatic! I used to watch basketball games in our schools and even in our place, especially when my brother played and he was also a star player.
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Wow, that’s cool, where did your bro play?
I play fantasy football and have gone to a few baseball games recently. For tickets, I wait for an Amazon local 30%-50% off deal for ScoreBig purchases (a ticket site). I usually can find a pretty good deal for baseball games.
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I used to be a big fantasy football guy, I can see the allure. I don’t usually see groupon/Amazon deals for sporting events besides baseball though. And I’m not that big of a baseball fan…I can sit and watch a game unless it’s the postseason.
I was never really into football until B came along, but now it’s pretty exciting! We wouldn’t really spend all that cash to go to a live game, though -thankfully, a few beers and a big TV is all that’s really needed for us (though no beers for me lately, of course). We get a lot of people from out of state a lot when they play the Chargers, and I do agree that there’s some very loyal fans since flight/lodging/food/tickets can’t be cheap! Go Seahawks or Chargers! 😉
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Yes, no beers for you now! =) Yea, I’ve known people who paid for flight/lodging/food on top of the EXPENSIVE game tickets! Yea…I enjoy sports, but not worth it to me.
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I could care less about Sports. Why do I have to pay for a stadium, for millionaire athletes, and billionaire owners.
If my own company got that kind of money to build an office building, I could get paid more too.
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I enjoy sports, but yea…that kind of money they’re all making is crazy.
I totally agree with your comments, even though I do enjoy following some of my hometown teams if they make the playoffs (Blue Jays right now!!). But I do agree that too much time spent here is a waste, and the money being poured into it is almost a crime. I’m of the mindset, my time is better spent going out to play a sport myself or experience something first hand, that’s where my time and money is focused!
Just saw that the Blue Jays won tonight…we’ll have to see if they can win 2 more games. I enjoy following the hometown teams as well and might watch on T.V. especially during the playoffs. But I was just watching the news about fans buying crazy expensive tickets and flying to another city to catch the game…I’m not doing that.
Wow, great post! You definitely made some great points, you can always save some money and just go to a sports bar when your favorite team is playing instead of buying cable or satellite. Thanks for sharing!
i like the way you write the blog