Author Topic: Sports - damn it is expensive!  (Read 10747 times)

BrandonP

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Sports - damn it is expensive!
« on: August 02, 2015, 06:42:14 PM »
Following sports can be very pricey!

The subscription, going to games, the jerseys etc etc.

I love following quite a few sports though. I like going to the odd live game. And I have a hockey subscription ($200 per season before tax!). But I get a lot of enjoyment out of it. For that money (say $400 max a season) brings me a lot of joy. It's pricey but as with a lot of things (cost benefit analysis) it can be worth it.


Cougar

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2015, 09:42:37 PM »

i think thats reasonable.

some here dropped sports entirely, but if you enjoy it; enjoy it; just dont give up your monetary/retirement goals for it. it shouldnt be much more than your monthly phone bill imo.

one of thoughts/sayings i have come up with is to not pay or help pay to make someone else rich and professional sports definitely fits that.

sol

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2015, 10:04:27 PM »
i think thats reasonable.

You think $400/year is reasonable?  For something you can do for free?

If you make the US median individual wage of ~27k/year, then that $400 investment is about 1.5% of your total income.  Remember that at low savings rates, each extra 1% of income that you divert to savings instead of spending buys you over two years of earlier retirement.  So that $400/year sports subscription commits you to working about three extra years.

It's pricey but as with a lot of things (cost benefit analysis) it can be worth it.

I have a hard time seeing how ANY sort of entertainment option is worth three years of your life, but we each get to make our own cost-benefit analysis, I guess.  If you are prepared to work three extra years in order to watch live hockey while wearing a new hockey jersey every year, that's a choice you get to make.  Personally, I'd take the three years of paid vacation and give it up.

Now if you already save 50% of your income and you make more than the median wage, the penalty should be smaller.  I'd still be hard pressed to give up any paid vacation time to watch people play sports on television.

mathlete

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2015, 10:12:03 PM »
I have a hard time seeing how ANY sort of entertainment option is worth three years of your life, but we each get to make our own cost-benefit analysis, I guess.

A life devoid of entertainment isn't worth living for 3 years or a hundred years IMO.

sol

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2015, 10:13:55 PM »
A life devoid of entertainment isn't worth living for 3 years or a hundred years IMO.

If you think your life is going to be devoid of entertainment if you give up a hockey subscription, then I think that finances are not your biggest problem.
« Last Edit: August 02, 2015, 10:24:14 PM by sol »

phillyvalue

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2015, 10:23:23 PM »
I dont have the TV subscription but certainky go to a few baseball games per year. Its not very expensive if you avoid spending a ton on overpriced concessions. I think most sports are actually reasonably priced forms of live entertainment, its generally going to cost a fair bit more to attend a concert or show. Football is probably an exception where the ticket cost is very high given the limited number of games.

libertarian4321

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #6 on: August 03, 2015, 12:24:57 AM »
Most games are on TV for free (though you may need cable for some).  Not quite as exciting as being at the stadium, but it mostly works for me.

Might go to one or two basketball games per year, but the rest of the time, TV is fine.  With big screen TVs, you'll see more in your living room than you ever would live (unless you paid for ridiculously expensive court side seats).

mathlete

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #7 on: August 03, 2015, 07:32:47 AM »
If you think your life is going to be devoid of entertainment if you give up a hockey subscription, then I think that finances are not your biggest problem.

You generalized it to "ANY sort of entertainment".

Besides, you said yourself; people make their own value judgements. I don't watch Hockey but I see why it is important to some people.

For a median income person, the stress relief they get while watching the game, the entertainment value, the additional bonding with fellow fans. I can definitely see how that would be worth a few additional years of working in your sixties if that's what it ends up being. 

music lover

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #8 on: August 03, 2015, 08:05:20 AM »
A life devoid of entertainment isn't worth living for 3 years or a hundred years IMO.

If you think your life is going to be devoid of entertainment if you give up a hockey subscription, then I think that finances are not your biggest problem.

Everyone has different likes and dislikes. It's a guarantee that every single activity that you enjoy and think is awesome, someone else will find boring.

I don't watch a lot of sports, but $400 a year is a drop in the bucket. I'm not going to skip something I enjoy to save $1.10 a day.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #9 on: August 03, 2015, 08:09:03 AM »

Quote
For something you can do for free?



Can you explain how you would watch a hockey season for free?


I agree with the person who says that reasonable entertainment expenses are worth it.  $400 doesn't sound like much money to me at all for an entire hockey season.

I follow figure skating. I pay $50 per year for an icenetwork subscription and about $25 a year for a message board subscription (to follow competitions not broadcast).  Not too bad. There are some events you can find streams for online (though from Latvia or other random countries; so viruses are sometimes a problem), but US based events that doesn't exist at all.  There is no live coverage on television, and the week-delayed coverage is extremely limited; often doesn't show one discipline at all, and may show fewer than 3 skaters from other disciplines. So a subscription is really the only option.  The one time I've attended an event it cost about $700- transportation (I drove!), 3 days of hotels, event tickets.  Because of cost, I don't get to attend very much.


Quote
If you make the US median individual wage of ~27k/year, then that $400 investment is about 1.5% of your total income.
Did the OP say they make the median wage?  Maybe they make $100k a year?
« Last Edit: August 03, 2015, 08:40:59 AM by iowajes »

Cougar

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #10 on: August 03, 2015, 08:39:36 AM »
i think thats reasonable.

You think $400/year is reasonable?  For something you can do for free?

If you make the US median individual wage of ~27k/year, then that $400 investment is about 1.5% of your total income.  Remember that at low savings rates, each extra 1% of income that you divert to savings instead of spending buys you over two years of earlier retirement.  So that $400/year sports subscription commits you to working about three extra years.



um, YES I DO and i'm guessing he cant get the games for free; at least not more than a few that networks show; so he would miss being able to see games he wanted.

if you average that $400 out monthly, i do not consider it that much if it is something you enjoy.

there's going to be costs involved in anything. if you're just going to cut out all costs and completely change your life, what you like to do and see; i recommend early retirement extreme.
« Last Edit: August 03, 2015, 08:42:37 AM by Cougar »

coppertop

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #11 on: August 03, 2015, 08:52:35 AM »
Way back in Paleo days, we used to be able to watch the Phillies and the Flyers on a major network for free.  Then Comcast Cable came along and ultimately sewed up almost all the rights to show major league baseball and hockey in the Philadelphia area.  Then they moved their sports channel to a higher tier.  We would have to pay $65 a month for cable to watch that channel.  I was outraged when this happened and told them so - not that they cared.  There are still plenty of people willing to pay a lot of money every month to the cable ripoff company, so the loss of my business does not bother them in the least.  We have basic cable, but realize that we have not watched it in months so we will be pulling the plug in its entirety shortly.

EricP

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #12 on: August 03, 2015, 09:06:02 AM »
Way back in Paleo days, we used to be able to watch the Phillies and the Flyers on a major network for free.  Then Comcast Cable came along and ultimately sewed up almost all the rights to show major league baseball and hockey in the Philadelphia area.  Then they moved their sports channel to a higher tier.  We would have to pay $65 a month for cable to watch that channel.  I was outraged when this happened and told them so - not that they cared.  There are still plenty of people willing to pay a lot of money every month to the cable ripoff company, so the loss of my business does not bother them in the least.  We have basic cable, but realize that we have not watched it in months so we will be pulling the plug in its entirety shortly.

Yes, blame Comcast for screwing it up, not the Phillies and the Flyers for wanting to make more money and selling their services to the highest bidder who happened to be a cable station.

Schaefer Light

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #13 on: August 03, 2015, 09:13:38 AM »
I spend over $100 per month on golf, so I don't think spending $400 per year on sports is unreasonable at all.  It all depends on whether or not it's worth it to you in the long run.  Personally, I'm willing to work a bit longer to be able to play all the golf I want in retirement.

Iron Mike Sharpe

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #14 on: August 03, 2015, 09:27:38 AM »
i think thats reasonable.

You think $400/year is reasonable?  For something you can do for free?

If you make the US median individual wage of ~27k/year, then that $400 investment is about 1.5% of your total income.  Remember that at low savings rates, each extra 1% of income that you divert to savings instead of spending buys you over two years of earlier retirement.  So that $400/year sports subscription commits you to working about three extra years.

It's pricey but as with a lot of things (cost benefit analysis) it can be worth it.

I have a hard time seeing how ANY sort of entertainment option is worth three years of your life, but we each get to make our own cost-benefit analysis, I guess.  If you are prepared to work three extra years in order to watch live hockey while wearing a new hockey jersey every year, that's a choice you get to make.  Personally, I'd take the three years of paid vacation and give it up.

Now if you already save 50% of your income and you make more than the median wage, the penalty should be smaller.  I'd still be hard pressed to give up any paid vacation time to watch people play sports on television.

Different people value different things.  I split season tickets to baseball with a group of friends.  I actually resell about half of my tickets online, so that my actual costs to attend a game are very low (I park for free and do not pay to eat/drink at the game).  I used to be in a hockey season ticket group too, but analyzed that the costs to attend those were simply too much for what I am trying to accomplish with my budget. 

I don't have cable so I do not pay to watch sports on TV anymore.  I'd actually get the MLB and NHL apps, but both leagues have decided they do not want my money via the home blackout rule.  That is their loss.  By the time the NHL pulls their heads out of their asses, I will probably no longer care enough to get the package.

Heck, I also budget $25/month for concerts and see several throughout the year.  And I go to a couple of out-of-town music festivals that my vacation budget easily handles.  Not much in life beats good music. 

These are things that *I* value.  And I still am able to have a very healthy savings rate. 

mizzourah2006

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #15 on: August 03, 2015, 09:36:37 AM »
I probably spend 3-4x that on sports each year, especially if you count the cable subscription. The only reason I have cable is for baseball, college football, and hockey. So cable + taking the wife to a few baseball games a year and maybe 1 college football game and 1 hockey game probably costs 1.5kish/yr.

I really enjoy sports, and even in retirement sports would be a major part of my life as it is one of my favorite hobbies, so I would definitely work an extra year or two to watch sports (It also helps that I enjoy what I do for a living as well).

Leanthree

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #16 on: August 03, 2015, 10:19:16 AM »
I have calculated $200 per year for this and for me it is worth it. It is not anywhere close to 3 years of extra working.

The present value of $200 (growing at 3% inflation) invested per year in perpetuity* @ 8% implied return is $4,000. It takes me a bit over two weeks to earn that after tax, and will provide me with entertainment ~50 times per year or 3,500 days of entertainment for ~2 weeks of work in my life. I happen to like hockey and my family likes hockey and it is about 10% of what we talk about.

I think the point here is to go through the calculation and see if it make sense for you. There is other entertainment, like cable which doesn't make sense for me.

*PV=Pmt/((rate of return)- (pmt inflation rate)).

I am aware I could calculate this as an annuity for the rest of my life, but over that hopeful time horizon, this is way easier and accurate enough.

BrandonP

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #17 on: August 03, 2015, 10:47:08 AM »
i think thats reasonable.

You think $400/year is reasonable?  For something you can do for free?

If you make the US median individual wage of ~27k/year, then that $400 investment is about 1.5% of your total income.  Remember that at low savings rates, each extra 1% of income that you divert to savings instead of spending buys you over two years of earlier retirement.  So that $400/year sports subscription commits you to working about three extra years.

It's pricey but as with a lot of things (cost benefit analysis) it can be worth it.

I have a hard time seeing how ANY sort of entertainment option is worth three years of your life, but we each get to make our own cost-benefit analysis, I guess. If you are prepared to work three extra years in order to watch live hockey while wearing a new hockey jersey every year, that's a choice you get to make.  Personally, I'd take the three years of paid vacation and give it up.

Now if you already save 50% of your income and you make more than the median wage, the penalty should be smaller.  I'd still be hard pressed to give up any paid vacation time to watch people play sports on television.

I like going to games. Going for free is very difficult. I actually got two of my jerseys from a thrift store for free. Other tops have been presents. I don't have cable because I find that to be a waste of money. I could just stream games but the quality isn't very good. And when you're following something like hockey, seeing the puck is kind of important.

And yes I like sports a lot. Also, I like my job as well. So it is easy a decision to enjoy watching sports which gives me great entertainment for what is a fraction of my income.

AZDude

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #18 on: August 03, 2015, 11:06:40 AM »
I'm sure there is a hockey equivalent of MLB.tv, right? Looks like they offer one for about $19 a month, for 9 months. Using some technical know-how, you can get around the blackout rules and watch any game you want. No need for a $65 month cable subscription.

I do this with MLB. Cable was like $80 when you added up all the fees, so its a much better bargain.

Capsu78

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #19 on: August 03, 2015, 12:30:10 PM »
I'm glad I scratched that itch when I was in my 20's.  Had partial season tickets to 2 NFL teams and a college team, 10 baseball games a year and assorted Bowl games.  Saw a World Series won as well as a college football NC game and assorted one offs- European track meet, Premier League football game, Japanese baseball game and a couple of F1 races.
I must say I am now pretty picky about what I am willing to put up with to watch a live event and my big ass TV is always a viable option.

(I blew one thing though, by not going to 2 different Super Bowls I had a line on tickets for...but I thought $50 a ticket was a stupid amount to watch a SB... the only comment to the OP is that if it really floats your boat to go to games, do it now because it will only be more expensive later.)   

Stillwantluxuries

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #20 on: August 03, 2015, 09:30:39 PM »
i think thats reasonable.

You think $400/year is reasonable?  For something you can do for free?

If you make the US median individual wage of ~27k/year, then that $400 investment is about 1.5% of your total income.  Remember that at low savings rates, each extra 1% of income that you divert to savings instead of spending buys you over two years of earlier retirement.  So that $400/year sports subscription commits you to working about three extra years.

It's pricey but as with a lot of things (cost benefit analysis) it can be worth it.

I have a hard time seeing how ANY sort of entertainment option is worth three years of your life, but we each get to make our own cost-benefit analysis, I guess.  If you are prepared to work three extra years in order to watch live hockey while wearing a new hockey jersey every year, that's a choice you get to make.  Personally, I'd take the three years of paid vacation and give it up.

Now if you already save 50% of your income and you make more than the median wage, the penalty should be smaller.  I'd still be hard pressed to give up any paid vacation time to watch people play sports on television.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the articles on MMM and have kicked my savings up to a new level. Having read all of the articles in no time flat I ventured to the forums. I just registered to reply to what I see as a common theme...judgement. I get it. Most of us are here for helpful tips to cut costs, accelerate our path to financial independence, etc. However, there seems to be a significant subset that takes it a bit too personally.

What I mean is...if I save Xx% of my income (about 45%) and spend $Xx on cable, because I enjoy live sports, I don't think I require a lecture for that. I know damn well what it costs. Isn't part of being financially independent having the ability to choose where you spend your money? Not all spending is evil, as long as you are cognizant of it and weigh the cost/benefit, including opportunity costs. Fair?

There seems to a bit more "holier than thou" attitudes than I had hoped for on this forum after reading every post since the beginning of time

I believe the mustachian himself said you could choose your luxuries as you see fit.  Not sure why a sports package that provides entertainment for somebody can't fit into this category. In fact, I'm quite sure being able to watch out of market games saves me money, as otherwise I would have to go to a local establishment to see them.

Full disclosure I'm a huge sports fan and pay much more than the OP for subscriptions, travel to sporting events (home for me) etc. It serves as a much needed stress reliever and something the family looks forward to. Is it okay then?
« Last Edit: August 03, 2015, 09:36:47 PM by Stillwantluxuries »

micase

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #21 on: August 03, 2015, 10:31:46 PM »
Not okay at all stillwantluxuries.  The only form of entertainment that is allowed on this forum is reading a library book under the light of candles made out of your own earwax while eating your plain rice and lentil dinner.

On a more serious note, I can understand the justification of expense in attending and watching sport.  I've recently gone one step further in gaining a job for an online bookmaking (betting) company.  Ive recently graduated as a civil engineer but the call of being able to watch sports and racing all day while getting to use my mathematical and analytical skills was a dream come true. 

We'll see how I feel in a years time working there but for me there is nothing like the rush of a great sporting contest.

Grog

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #22 on: August 04, 2015, 12:14:09 AM »
I don't know about the situation in the US; but here there are a couple of radio show that do Hockey-Games live with some music sometimes. If a goal happen, they stop the music and describe everything. Maybe you have full game coverage by radio. But I decided I prefer to listen to hockey game via radio and go a couple of time live (tickets are 20-40 chf per game depending on the arena) that purchasing full tv coverage. Listening via radio let's you do something else in the meantime.

And absolutely no jersey or merchandising crap, i'm sorry you don't have to buy some shit made in some vietnamese/bangalese/chinese horror factory to be an hockey fan.

Don't buy crap, listen to radio, and watch the recap free on NHL.com after the video.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #23 on: August 04, 2015, 07:54:32 AM »
I don't know about the situation in the US; but here there are a couple of radio show that do Hockey-Games live with some music sometimes.

Maybe that happens in cities with teams, but that is not something that is typical. I would never be able to pick up a hockey game on the radio.
Perhaps there is a channel on satellite radio. But then you'd need a satellite radio subscription. In which case, you might as well buy the subscription to watch the games on TV instead.


The only sports we can get called on the radio are the in-town college football team. They don't even do the other college sports here. (My hometown called football and baseball.)

I'm a red panda

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #24 on: August 04, 2015, 07:55:28 AM »

There seems to a bit more "holier than thou" attitudes than I had hoped for on this forum after reading every post since the beginning of time


There are a few people on this forum who wouldn't classify MMM as being Mustachian.  You learn to just skim past those posts.

Liz

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #25 on: August 04, 2015, 08:56:10 AM »
On a more serious note, I can understand the justification of expense in attending and watching sport.  I've recently gone one step further in gaining a job for an online bookmaking (betting) company.  Ive recently graduated as a civil engineer but the call of being able to watch sports and racing all day while getting to use my mathematical and analytical skills was a dream come true. 

We'll see how I feel in a years time working there but for me there is nothing like the rush of a great sporting contest.

That sounds like an awesome job!

tooqk4u22

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #26 on: August 04, 2015, 09:19:32 AM »
Way back in Paleo days, we used to be able to watch the Phillies and the Flyers on a major network for free.  Then Comcast Cable came along and ultimately sewed up almost all the rights to show major league baseball and hockey in the Philadelphia area.  Then they moved their sports channel to a higher tier.  We would have to pay $65 a month for cable to watch that channel.  I was outraged when this happened and told them so - not that they cared.  There are still plenty of people willing to pay a lot of money every month to the cable ripoff company, so the loss of my business does not bother them in the least.  We have basic cable, but realize that we have not watched it in months so we will be pulling the plug in its entirety shortly.

Yes, blame Comcast for screwing it up, not the Phillies and the Flyers for wanting to make more money and selling their services to the highest bidder who happened to be a cable station.


Remember PRISM?   

In the case of the Flyers....Comcast is to blame because Comcast owns the Flyers. 


tooqk4u22

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #27 on: August 04, 2015, 09:21:20 AM »
Following sports can be very pricey!

The subscription, going to games, the jerseys etc etc.

I love following quite a few sports though. I like going to the odd live game. And I have a hockey subscription ($200 per season before tax!). But I get a lot of enjoyment out of it. For that money (say $400 max a season) brings me a lot of joy. It's pricey but as with a lot of things (cost benefit analysis) it can be worth it.

It is expensive to be a hockey spectator.....especially when your kid plays the game, probably shell out $5k+ for the sport.  WTF? Thank goodness my other kids had no interest in hockey and choose far less demanding ($) sports.

Bob W

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #28 on: August 04, 2015, 09:44:50 AM »
If you really enjoy sport watching you should consider becoming a high school sports fan.  The tickets are like $3.  The competition is often very intense.  The spectators actually have players on the field making the action in the stands very real and emotional.  In our area you can buy an all game season pass for like $120.  You could see perhaps 100 games.


BrandonP

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #29 on: August 04, 2015, 10:57:28 AM »
If you really enjoy sport watching you should consider becoming a high school sports fan.  The tickets are like $3.  The competition is often very intense.  The spectators actually have players on the field making the action in the stands very real and emotional.  In our area you can buy an all game season pass for like $120.  You could see perhaps 100 games.

No thanks. When it comes to the hockey, I want to watch the best players, thus the NHL. Also, I don't think high school sports is as big here as it is in the states.

BrandonP

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #30 on: August 04, 2015, 11:01:54 AM »
OP = $400/year for 2 people isn't much to watch competitive sports IMO so no reason to feel bad about spending it. Cut back on something else less important to you to make up the cost difference if you feel you need that savings. While I don't watch sports myself I do play some and even free or inexpensive ones, like beach volleyball or biking, cost some money for equipment which I happily spend even on my very low FIRE income as it's worth it to me.

I cut my rent by roughly $500 a month. :)

jorjor

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #31 on: August 04, 2015, 11:12:56 AM »
I'm sure there is a hockey equivalent of MLB.tv, right? Looks like they offer one for about $19 a month, for 9 months. Using some technical know-how, you can get around the blackout rules and watch any game you want. No need for a $65 month cable subscription.

I do this with MLB. Cable was like $80 when you added up all the fees, so its a much better bargain.

I've yet to see anything as good as MLB.tv. Reasonable annual price and great content. Many people I know split the membership do defray costs. Since I am a Cubs fan living in Colorado, I have very few blackout games that I actually care about. My family back in Iowa has most everything they want to watch blacked out.

When I want to go to a game, I'll look for something cheap on Craigslist or will by Rockpile seats if they are available ($4) or patio tickets ($15 which includes $7 or $8 of concessions credits). I might splurge on better seats for one game when the Cubs are in town. No need for jerseys. I'm still rocking my Ted Lilly jersey from 8 years ago.

Money Mouse

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #32 on: August 04, 2015, 11:20:38 AM »
I probably spend 3-4x that on sports each year, especially if you count the cable subscription. The only reason I have cable is for baseball, college football, and hockey. So cable + taking the wife to a few baseball games a year and maybe 1 college football game and 1 hockey game probably costs 1.5kish/yr.

I really enjoy sports, and even in retirement sports would be a major part of my life as it is one of my favorite hobbies, so I would definitely work an extra year or two to watch sports (It also helps that I enjoy what I do for a living as well).

I personally think it will be sports coverage that keeps the cable tv model going over the next 20 years. We cut cable about 3 years ago and haven't missed it, fortunately we aren't sports fans. I only "miss" it when the Bears play the Packers on MNF, since it's on ESPN now rather than ABC like it used to be (and since the Bears usually lose I'm still not missing much...).  But if I (or DH) was a huge sports fan, I'd find it almost impossible to ditch the cable habit.

Is there any data showing that cable/satellite subscriptions are on the decline over the past few years? I'm really wondering if that is what is driving Comcast into getting more sports on cable tv vs. broadcast, trying to save a (slowly) sinking ship.  I'm on a few different internet forums and I've noticed an uptick in posters claiming they cut cable and just watch some combo of Netflix/Hulu/Amazon/HBO GO/broadcast tv over the last two years or so.

AZDude

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #33 on: August 04, 2015, 01:15:50 PM »
The reason cable networks love live sports is because advertisers pay a premium because people actually watch them live. IE: So they cannot edit out/fast forward through commercials.

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/12/31/cable-top-25-monday-night-football-tops-cable-viewership-for-the-week-ending-december-28-2014/344694/

This is old, but still, last November MNF had 16 million live viewers. The best non-sports, scripted TV show had 4 million. People do not watch content live EXCEPT for sports and a few awards shows and the like. No one tunes into ABC on Thursdays at 8PM for (insert latest "hit" drama). They watch it on Hulu/Netflix/DVR/etc...

Sports are keeping the old cable model from dying as quickly as it should, but there is still hope. For example, you can combine Sling TV($20/month internet only cable that comes with ESPN and TNT) with over the air antenna TV, plus a subscription to your sport of choice(mlb.tv, NBALPBB, whatever hockey has). Its still cheaper than cable, and best of all, you can cancel for the months you do not use, like June, July, and August when there is nothing but baseball on. It averages out to far less than cable even.

For the odd game that you cannot get, like a local NCAAF rivalry game shown on PAC 12 network, hit a sports bar or a friend's couch, or if you really get desperate, find a live stream on the web.

Jersey Brett

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Re: Sports - damn does it pay well!
« Reply #34 on: August 04, 2015, 01:39:11 PM »
I always wanted to be a pro golfer, nice weather, colorful outfits, play till you're eighty. Even if you're only slightly good you can run the minor circuits and make $100,000 per year

I'm a red panda

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #35 on: August 04, 2015, 01:45:43 PM »
Quote
For the odd game that you cannot get, like a local NCAAF rivalry game shown on PAC 12 network, hit a sports bar or a friend's couch, or if you really get desperate, find a live stream on the web.

We actually have keys to a friend's house that we use on Thanksgiving when they are out of town to watch the Texas game that we can't get over the air.  In exchange we watch their dog while they are on vacation.

HopefulMustache

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #36 on: August 04, 2015, 02:16:21 PM »
I personally think it will be sports coverage that keeps the cable tv model going over the next 20 years. We cut cable about 3 years ago and haven't missed it, fortunately we aren't sports fans. I only "miss" it when the Bears play the Packers on MNF, since it's on ESPN now rather than ABC like it used to be (and since the Bears usually lose I'm still not missing much...).  But if I (or DH) was a huge sports fan, I'd find it almost impossible to ditch the cable habit.

Is there any data showing that cable/satellite subscriptions are on the decline over the past few years? I'm really wondering if that is what is driving Comcast into getting more sports on cable tv vs. broadcast, trying to save a (slowly) sinking ship.  I'm on a few different internet forums and I've noticed an uptick in posters claiming they cut cable and just watch some combo of Netflix/Hulu/Amazon/HBO GO/broadcast tv over the last two years or so.

As AZDude said - sports are a huge reason many stick with cable because people watch it live. With the exception of a few classic games, most people just about never want to watch a game if the outcome is aready known. Even being a minute behind the game because you DV-R'd it can be awful when you literally hear your neighbors cheering and know a big play is coming.

In the US Cable/Sat subscriptions peaked around 2000 and have been slowly, slowly declining ever since, if I'm reading things right. Thank you, internet and Netflix (founded in '97). I remember growing up ESPN wasn't a staple in most people's basic cable package, but these days something like 98% of people who have cable tv have ESPN. ESPN is a behemoth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cable_television_in_the_United_States

To respond to the OP though, I also like sports and it makes for easy conversation with friends and fun debate. I'm not as emotionally attached as I used to be and, lacking cable and time, barely ever watch games, but I get my fix largely through fantasy baseball and football (network TV and, gotta say, there's just fewer games and that makes it a lot easier to actually watch a significant portion of the season).


music lover

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #37 on: August 04, 2015, 03:04:07 PM »
If you really enjoy sport watching you should consider becoming a high school sports fan.  The tickets are like $3.  The competition is often very intense.  The spectators actually have players on the field making the action in the stands very real and emotional.  In our area you can buy an all game season pass for like $120.  You could see perhaps 100 games.

Intensity is only part of it. I've seen beer league hockey games with more intensity than NHL games, but I won't pay to watch them.

music lover

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Re: Sports - damn does it pay well!
« Reply #38 on: August 04, 2015, 03:15:05 PM »
I always wanted to be a pro golfer, nice weather, colorful outfits, play till you're eighty. Even if you're only slightly good you can run the minor circuits and make $100,000 per year

In golf to be "slightly good" enough to earn $100,000, you better be one of the best 500 players in the world...or, in other words, better than 99.999% of all the golfers in the world.

It's not as easy as you think.

PeteD01

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #39 on: August 04, 2015, 03:24:40 PM »
I've just wasted two minutes of my precious lifetime because I incorrectly assumed that this thread was about playing sports - my bad.
I suggest the title be changed to "watching sports etc." or something.

The Money Monk

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Re: Sports - damn it is expensive!
« Reply #40 on: August 04, 2015, 04:15:00 PM »


You think $400/year is reasonable?  For something you can do for free?

I'd still be hard pressed to give up any paid vacation time to watch people play sports on television.

It's always interesting to see what particular spending item others think is ludicrous. I guarantee you spend money on some thing other people on this forum will think is a ridiculous waste of working hours. And even if not, and you save 100% of your money and don't even eat - well, nobody cares.

Schaefer Light

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Re: Sports - damn does it pay well!
« Reply #41 on: August 05, 2015, 07:20:19 AM »
I always wanted to be a pro golfer, nice weather, colorful outfits, play till you're eighty. Even if you're only slightly good you can run the minor circuits and make $100,000 per year

In golf to be "slightly good" enough to earn $100,000, you better be one of the best 500 players in the world...or, in other words, better than 99.999% of all the golfers in the world.

It's not as easy as you think.
Exactly.  I would bet that a lot of pro golfers spend more on travel than they earn playing golf.