Today, June 19, marks 100 days since a Philly team played a game.
There are many aspects of sports I miss, others not as much.
I’ve been watching a lot more HGTV than I otherwise would have. Hilary and David on Love It or List It are tight. It’s not exactly doing the trick though.
But there’s definitely nothing to fill the void of being outside at that ballpark on a sunny summer day with friends and family. Those are some of the days I plan and budget my summer around.
Which got me to thinking: I wonder how much money I would have spent attending Sixers, Phillies and Flyers games over the last 100 days had the coronavirus pandemic never happened?
So I put on my Sam Hinkie hat and did some math. By my pretty conservative estimates, I likely would have spent in the vicinity of $1,000 on tickets, food and drink at the Wells Fargo Center and Citizens Bank Park. Others like season ticket holders would have spent way more while some people aren’t afforded the luxury of going to lots of live events in person.
Here’s how I got to my number.
NHL
Prior to the coronavirus shutting the sports world down, I had tickets to take my nephew to the Sixers game against the Orlando Magic on April 5 at $100 per ticket. They were basically the most affordable tickets I could get to sit in the lower level. After that, I likely would have attended at minimum one of the Sixers playoff games at a similar price point. Throw in a couple sodas, hot dogs and a beer at each game and we’re just getting started.
Then there’s the Phillies. I love going down to the ballpark each spring and summer to hang with friends and family and watch some baseball. Conservatively, my wife and I would have gone to one game per month in April, May and June for three games total. And we would have taken my niece and nephew to one of those games. Have to get the kids some dogs and ice cream helmets. And let’s be real, they’d probably want some sort of swag, but we’ll hold off on that for now. That’s 8 tickets total at an average of $40 per ticket.
I’d probably hit one of the Flyers’ playoff games as well, but a buddy would hook me up with those, so no cost there. Toss in a couple more beers and maybe a Shake Shack burger though.
So if you add all that up, it’s safe to guess I would have gone to 6 total events in South Philly over the last three months and would have dropped $1,000 on me, my wife and my niece and nephew. Now, my sports spending over the last few months hasn't gone to zero, as I, like many of you, picked up some protective face masks with my favorite teams' logos on them. But that doesn't even crack triple digits.
The lack of options to attend a live sporting event has clearly changed my and many people’s spending habits, especially during such strenuous economic times. Hopefully, if you've been able to save a few bucks, you can give some to a worthy cause that could use it.
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