“The average fan, including me, should not have to take out a home equity line of credit to see a baseball game,” preached Charles Goldman, a businessman from Silver Spring, quoted in Forbes Magazine. 

      Sporting events are crucial to American entertainment. Without them, this country would be bland. They foster group bonding. However, the hefty price of tickets make the events a luxury for ordinary people. 

      The greater the popularity of the game, the more drastic the price gets. It is common for people to look forward to games, only to have their plans crushed by the ticket prices. The cost cause most to just forget about it and stay home to watch the event on television. 

      “Athletes are overpaid and they receive money from the media and extra services,” said Jack Gremillion, 12. 

      There are three big time leagues that are known around the United States: The National Football League, The National Basketball Association, and Major League Baseball. The local teams that people tend to follow are the Redskins, Wizards, and the Nationals, which are the teams that represent Washington, D.C.  

      The Redskins tickets cost, on average, $60 per game. The lowest ticket price you can probably get is around $18. The Redskins haven’t been to the playoffs in years, so there is no estimate for playoff ticket prices. 

      The Wizards are a little more expensive. Their ticket price average is around $97 but they can be as low as $12 per ticket. Playoff tickets get significantly more expensive and can range $270. 

      The Nationals are more on the cheap side, where tickets average around $53 per ticket. The tickets can also go for as low as $13. But during the playoffs, prices skyrocket, and average cost goes to about $127 per ticket. 

      Though these prices might seem low, the seats all start out in the nosebleed section. The closer you get to the field or court, the higher the price. 

      Ordinary people tend to be smart with their money in any situation. Because the desire to indulge arises, we spend money on luxuries, like sports events. Most people are willing to buy the tickets to make memories, but the price of the tickets slow down the decision. The reason I have never been to a major league game is because of the pricing. I would always have a plan on what we are doing before and after, but the plan would go downhill just because of the unnecessary pricing.  

      The lowest price of a ticket that I have ever wanted to grab may have been the highly competitive Patriots versus Redskins game, which held the lowest price of $450. 

      The cost to run a stadium does not justify exorbitant ticket prices because, according to the sports publication LedMaster, the average monthly cost to light a stadium is around $504. This is around half the price as a ticket, which is approximately $270 for just one game. These are sold to enough people to make millions of unethical profit. 

      Research shows professional athletes get paid a staggering amount as a whole. In the National Basketball Association, players receive an average salary of 6.2 million dollars. Major League Baseball players also receive an average of three million dollars. 

      Despite all the information showing that ticketing prices are too high, I decided to do some more digging. I conducted a poll asking if people think that ticket prices are appropriate for the event. The results were not what I expected. Forty-six percent of people found it appropriate and I wanted to know why they think that so I messaged a random person to explain their reasoning. 

      “It helps pay for concession costs and other expenses inside the stadium,” stated Griffin Free, 10, who attends South Lakes High School. 

      The expenses used to provide things in the stadium is something to address. Customers may spend money on food, clothing, and other objects such as armenants and other materials. Sports apparel is a huge commodity being sold. When sold in games, team that owns the stadium receives a huge revenue which gives them more profit even with the tickets being sold. 

      In the past, people were not worried about the money. Games were meant for people to enjoy. The unfair inflation of these ticket prices are slowly taking that away from the population. They are unethical and the players and team owners get more greedy because of the revenue. Still, we can make it easier for people to come to the games. Pricing of the tickets may come down easily but we as a community can help lower the parking and in-stadium item prices. 

      We can help through starting a petition to protest the high prices given to us for these sporting events. All people, regardless of economic situation, should be able to create memories at a major league game. These events are what bring people together.