MUScoop
MUScoop => Hangin' at the Al => Topic started by: warriorchick on October 25, 2016, 07:59:41 PM
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A friend of mine is a Cubs Season ticket holder and told me today that she turned down $5,000 apiece for some of her World Series tickets.
That got me to thinking: Let's say that when they first went on sale this year, you were able to purchase a pair of decent (good, but not amazing) tickets to the NCAA Final Four. As fate would have it, the gods smiled on the Warriors, and they find themselves in the championship game.
What is the price point at which you would be willing to sell those seats? For argument's sake, let's say that you have to sell both tickets, and you wouldn't be able turn around and buy cheaper seats elsewhere in the stadium - you'd have to watch the game on television somewhere else.
I am interested in your honest answers. And don't tell me you wouldn't sell them under any circumstances. If someone offered you $1 billion for the pair, you know you'd take it. My guess is most answers will be somewhere between that and face.
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$500,000 each. Buy a huge TV and throw a big party.
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The price to keep me in front of a TV would start around $100,000. Ticket price is irrelevant.
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$10,000 for one, $10,000,000 for both. I told my wife if we ever go to the Final Four again, I'm going after running out of money before the 2003 season ended (went to Elite 8). Money really doesn't matter that much, I make enough to be content, so unless I am getting enough to retire today, I'm not even thinking about it. I'd give up the wife's seat for far less than both, but the only way I'm not going is if I'm never working another day in my life. $10M should do that.
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Probably 100k if I'm sitting a football field away. If I have my normal upper deck seats, I would say a million.
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$5,000. Probably less. Watching sports live isn't a big priority of mine.
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I would quit my job and push a peanut all the way to San Antonio with my nose if it meant another final four.
That being said I would take something in the five figures to stay at home -- less if you can also guarantee me the in-game experience from 2003
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$5,000. Probably less. Watching sports live isn't a big priority of mine.
For me it's less the watching live sports as it is the being part of the celebration if we win. As exciting as watching us beat Syracuse to get to the Sweet 16, or Miami to get to the Elite 8 was, it wasn't close to being in the building for the Elite 8. All the best experience moments for me are when you are there live. I understand the couch for a regular season game, but for the moment you win the national title? Can't compare.
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$500,000 each. Buy a huge TV and throw a big party.
Really? If the offer was $475,000 apiece, you would tell the guy to go pound sand?
I love my Warriors, but if selling my tix allowed me to retire a decade earlier, I would do it.
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Cool government pension means I retire one way or the other in 6 years. $1 million means my wife retires now.
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I went to the final four in Detroit. I order the tickets the April before. I sat so far away the players looked like midgets. I think the amount of money would have to cover my travel arrangements. Triple face, the value of my vacation pay used, plus the cost of my travel including hotel and meals. There is value in the experience in being at the game, but often times you can see it better on TV.
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Cool government pension means I retire one way or the other in 6 years.
You're welcome, BTW. ;)
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Been to a Final Four already. Final Four tickets go for far less than Super Bowl or World Series tickets. So realistically, nothing. But if someone would give me $75K+ for the pair, they're sold.
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$5,000. Probably less. Watching sports live isn't a big priority of mine.
I'm somewhere in this range. Maybe $7500. Give me enough to take my family on a really nice vacation and I'd sell them.
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$2k now. $10k any time past 5 years from now even if I'm financially set. Probably less in both cases if I see the cash in front of me. Yea, money is just money but by that sense basketball is just a game. I don't think I could ever justify spending (or by passing) that much money for a game, especially with home the in home experience has improved. Kids tuition, charities, home improvements, family vacations etc would outweigh the game experience.
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I was lucky enough to be in the Omni in '77 as a 15-year old kid, and I promised my daughter that I would take her to see MU's next championship if the opportunity comes while I'm still alive. Because of that, the only possible way I'd sell the tickets would be if she said it was OK...in which case the money would be hers.
If I sold the tickets over her objection, no amount of money would be enough to erase the reflection of myself that I'd see every time I looked into her eyes.
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If I had a ticket in hand... $20k would get me thinking
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MU is national championship game would be tough to sell the tickets. I know there is a price out there to get me to sell but not sure what would it be. I get caught up in the excitement of the moment and probably would need a crazy number to skip the tilt.
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I was lucky enough to be in the Omni in '77 as a 15-year old kid, and I promised my daughter that I would take her to see MU's next championship if the opportunity comes while I'm still alive. Because of that, the only possible way I'd sell the tickets would be if she said it was OK...in which case the money would be hers.
If I sold the tickets over her objection, no amount of money would be enough to erase the reflection of myself that I'd see every time I looked into her eyes.
We're in similar situations, Go - my oldest daughter graduated from MU and if I had 2 I couldn't sell 'em without her blessing.
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Lenny and Goooo,
You are my kind of fans!!
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Went to the Final Four last season. Tickets were about $200 a pop for 3rd Deck. I'd probably sell mine for about 1K a piece and buy me some tickets in the lower bowl!
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Nice question Chick. A couple of answers:
1) I have Bears season tickets. As such, I was entered in and won the lottery for 2005 Super Bowl tickets. Before I called my Brother-in-Law who lived north of Miami and offered him a ticket in exchange for a place to stay, Ms. Dgies insisted I check the secondary market for the Super Bowl tickets. As a result, $1,200 worth of tickets sold for $5,200. Paid for a Cabo vacation and a big-screen plasma television.
2) But, even though I am a Bears ticket holder, I have been a die-hard Packer backer since I was a very small child. I get the Bears tickets in part to go to the Packers game (which is delaying my Christmas trip to Florida this year). A few years back, the Bears played the Packers in the NFC Championship at Soldier Field. Ms. Dgies suggested I call the secondary market on these tickets. I told Ms. Dgies that she would not be Ms. Dgies much longer if she kept talking that kind of nonsense. I went to the game.
3) My love of and loyalty to Marquette is exponentially greater than even my joy in Packer wins. If I had Final Four tickets (and trust me, when we get there, I will), nothing will extract those tickets from me. Nothing.
Oh and GOOOO, I have the same deal with my daughter. She's attending another university, but I raised her well and she was, is and always will be a Warrior!
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What's the multiplier if you were selling to an opposing fan? Badgers vs Mu in the NC. You are willing to sell to a MU fan for 10k. How much for a badger fan to convince to sell to him instead of the mu alumn?
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What's the multiplier if you were selling to an opposing fan? Badgers vs Mu in the NC. You are willing to sell to a MU fan for 10k. How much for a badger fan to convince to sell to him instead of the mu alumn?
I'm kind of with Sultan in that live viewing isn't as big a priority. So not a badger fan, would be in the $5k-10k range.
If it was a badger fan, no multiplier, would just have to come up with clothing/shirts/costume that would embarrass the hell out of them.
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What's the multiplier if you were selling to an opposing fan? Badgers vs Mu in the NC. You are willing to sell to a MU fan for 10k. How much for a badger fan to convince to sell to him instead of the mu alumn?
Not missing that for any price. Especially not to give it to a Badger fan.
Money isn't really that important, and you can always make more. Anyone whose happiness is determined primarily by money probably isn't a very happy individual.
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I am of the opinion that a national championship for my alma mater would be a life changing experience for me. With that in mind it would have to be a life changing amount of money for me to give it up. I'm in my 20s so $1 mil for a pair would probably be enough to allow me to retire in my 40s and have the cash to travel for the rest of my life.
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When chick brought up the topic at dinner last night I responded this way. Not exactly sure what the number is (maybe $10,000 for grins) but I do know that despite the fact that the economics are exactly the same, my 'I'm willing to sell' price is significantly higher than my 'I'm buying them on the secondary market' price.
Also, totally historic events for me are more about 'being in the moment'. No doubt that the two greatest MU basketball events I have ever attended are the Halloween Midnight Madness game against the USSR with my dad and the Davidson miracle during perhaps the most personally challenging week in my life. The first because it gives me vivid memories of my dad who has been gone nearly 20 years now. The second because every once in a great while God decides you've had enough pain and gives you a little pat on the back reminding you that life is still good. I somehow knew Vander's shot was going in with 6 seconds to go. Feeling His grace a handful of times in my life is truly special.
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It is a very high price for me to replace personal, one of a kind experiences especially now that I have a kid to indoctrinate....I mean spend time with. $10 mil gets me retired 25 years early and I can spend time enjoying the family and other MUBB events.
So that's the price, $10 mil for the pair
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Also, totally historic events for me are more about 'being in the moment'. No doubt that the two greatest MU basketball events I have ever attended are the Halloween Midnight Madness game against the USSR with my dad and the Davidson miracle during perhaps the most personally challenging week in my life.
I was on campus "The" Year (1977 for you youngsters out there). I didn't go to the Omni that year as I was a poor college student. I think I had far more fun partying and watching with my friends and fellow MU students than I would have had in Atlanta/
Times are different. I'm an old geezer of sorts. I want to celebrate our second national championship, third and maybe fourth, with my fellow alumni and fans.
Where's the 2017 Final Four? (One can hope)
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Not missing that for any price. Especially not to give it to a Badger fan.
Money isn't really that important, and you can always make more. Anyone whose happiness is determined primarily by money probably isn't a very happy individual.
It's funny that I agree with you completely...so I reach the opposite conclusion. I'd sell the tickets for a lot less than many on here so I could do something special with my family that we couldn't do otherwise.
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Okay, all of you who said you wouldn't sell the tickets for any amount of money either
1. aren't being honest
2. haven't thought it through, or
2. are idiots
I find it hard to believe that if someone offered you enough money so that you could afford to sit front row center at every subsequent Marquette game in your lifetime (including any and all future championship games), generously support every cause that is important to you (both with money and time), and have the building of your choice on campus named in your honor, you would say, "Thanks. I'll pass".
And to those of you who made promises to your daughters to take them to the game and don't want to see the look of disappointment on her face, let me ask you this: What would be the look on her face if you told her, "Guess what, honey? I got offered enough money for our tickets that I could pay off all of your debt and buy you a nice house and a Mercedes, but a promise is a promise, so I told the guy to go f*ck himself."
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Okay, all of you who said you wouldn't sell the tickets for any amount of money either
1. aren't being honest
2. haven't thought it through, or
2. are idiots
I find it hard to believe that if someone offered you enough money so that you could afford to sit front row center at every subsequent Marquette game in your lifetime (including any and all future championship games), generously support every cause that is important to you (both with money and time), and have the building of your choice on campus named in your honor, you would say, "Thanks. I'll pass".
And to those of you who made promises to your daughters to take them to the game and don't want to see the look of disappointment on her face, let me ask you this: What would be the look on her face if you told her, "Guess what, honey? I got offered enough money for our tickets that I could pay off all of your debt and buy you a nice house and a Mercedes, but a promise is a promise, so I told the guy to go f*ck himself."
It's easy for someone to say they'd never sell when it's a hypothetical. In actuality, if someone was offered $5k or more for 2 tickets, they'd sell them in a heartbeat.
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It's easy for someone to say they'd never sell when it's a hypothetical. In actuality, if someone was offered $5k or more for 2 tickets, they'd sell them in a heartbeat.
I think some might fold but I'm certain that there people that mean what they say.
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I lived through this experience with the 2006 World Series. I bought tickets through a season ticket package for game 6 of the Tigers - Cardinals World Series. Tickets were $175 each. I was offered hard cash of $1,000 for each and turned it down. However, I made my number $5,000 for the pair, as a recent law school graduate with a government job, some student loan debt, a new house and pregnant wife. It was an easy choice. My wife said take $2500 for the pair. Going price was about $750 for the each, but rising steadily.
By the way, part of my thought was if I sell for $5000, I will put $500 aside and buy again when the Tigers make the world series next.
Tigers lost in 5. I got neither the experience nor the money. Tigers went back in 2012, I got tickets again, and they lost in 4. True story. What is that they say about best laid plans?
Everything depends on circumstances. What was really big money for me then is less important now. However, for $25,000, I could sell the MU tickets, still watch the game with friends, family, etc, and fly to the Fuji Islands (bucket list item) for a week, and still have $15,000 in the bank for a rainy day and for next time MU makes the championship game.
Experiences are what you make of them. I am a MSU Spartans Football fan and season ticket holder. I went to the 100th Rose Bowl. It was unbelievable and an experience I would never trade....except for maybe $50,000. Maybe $25,000. Heck, probably $15,000.00.
So there is a dollar amount. My guess is most people would probably take as little as $25,000 for the pair if faced with the reality regardless of what you read on here. Probably less. ***Assuming they are not extraordinarily wealthy, where $25,000 is a drop in the bucket.
NOTE: I am not a life long Tigers fan, so that devalued my position. I have missed less than 10 MU games since 2000 whether in person, on television, by internet radio, or even by internet stat tracker. It would be a different situation.
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I think some of the people who are answering with these large sums...
1. Don't have kids so they may not understand that turning down five figures for a ticket to a sporting event is (in my opinion) wasteful, or...
2. Are much wealthier than I am, or...
3. Are lying.
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And to those of you who made promises to your daughters to take them to the game and don't want to see the look of disappointment on her face, let me ask you this: What would be the look on her face if you told her, "Guess what, honey? I got offered enough money for our tickets that I could pay off all of your debt and buy you a nice house and a Mercedes, but a promise is a promise, so I told the guy to go f*ck himself."
If you are addressing this to me, you didn't read the whole response.
I said I would let my daughter choose, and keep the money if she chose to sell. So if the offer would allow her to pay off debt, and buy a house and Mercedes or whatever, it would be totally her choice. My sense is that she'd keep the tickets, but I would let her make that decision.
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It's easy for someone to say they'd never sell when it's a hypothetical. In actuality, if someone was offered $5k or more for 2 tickets, they'd sell them in a heartbeat.
Not necessarily - it totally depends on your life circumstances. For some people - and I'm guessing there are a few here - that $5k would be in the ballpark of about a week's salary. So to put it in that perspective - if you were offered one week's salary for 2 tix to potentially the game of a lifetime, would you "sell them in a heartbeat?"
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Great question.
I would do 7,500 a piece.
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$5,000. Probably less. Watching sports live isn't a big priority of mine.
I was at the Omni in Atlanta in 1977 watching our Warriors beat UNCC and UNC in person for that NCAA championship. Celebrated into the wee hours in Underground Atlanta barely catching that plane back to Milwaukee. $5,000 or whatever it was worth in 1977 can't possibly pay for those very sweet memories. If you wish to be a couch potato, so be it. ;)
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Got an NBA finals ticket to the first Bulls championship and sold it for $2,000. Now I am not anywhere near a fan of the Bulls that I am Marquette. So maybe somewhere between $5,000 and $7,500 is probably my breaking point.
For that kind of money you could still fly down to the location and hang out with other Marquette fans to watch the festivities and have plenty left over. That way you still enjoy the experience to a degree.
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Okay, all of you who said you wouldn't sell the tickets for any amount of money either
1. aren't being honest
2. haven't thought it through, or
2. are idiots
Chick, Chick, Chick.
You asked us what we would do and I told you. I wasn't dealing with a hypothetical. I could relate to specific circumstances -- such as the Circus Maximus of American Sports and what I specifically did. In the second case, was I stupid for not selling the Packers/Bears NFC Championship tickets? Ms. Dgies would think so in light of what the market value of those tickets was in relationship to what we paid. But damn I had a good time at that game!
Yes, I suppose if my beloved daughter or fabulous son was not able to go to college; if we were eating cat food; if I was living on Lower Wacker Drive; or, if there was a family need that selling those tickets would resolve; then, yes I would sell the Warrior NCAA Championship Tickets. I think there is something in the Good Book about "Loving Your Neighbor as Yourself." The values imparted during my Marquette education would dictate a sale.
But there was a sense of realism in your question. That is, I have to deal with real-life situations, market prices and expectations. If I had tickets to the third game of the World Series this Friday night in Chicago and the potential sale value was $22,000 per, then they'd be gone. But the reality is that NO ONE will offer that for a Marquette NCAA Title Game. There's not that kind of cache associated with Marquette or, for that matter, the NCAA!
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I prefer to answer it this way even though I know it isn't the question that you asked.
I wouldn't sell for what the top market price would actually be.
Nobody is paying millions for the tickets. Nobody is even paying 6 figures.
So it isn't going to be life changing money for most.
Since I have been very fortunate financially in my life 10 or 20 thousand isn't enough to make me miss the experience of a potential National Championship.
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Chick, Chick, Chick.
But there was a sense of realism in your question. That is, I have to deal with real-life situations, market prices and expectations. If I had tickets to the third game of the World Series this Friday night in Chicago and the potential sale value was $22,000 per, then they'd be gone. But the reality is that NO ONE will offer that for a Marquette NCAA Title Game. There's not that kind of cache associated with Marquette or, for that matter, the NCAA!
Hey, nowhere did I say that it had to be a realistic or market price. My question was, what would be the dollar amount that would make you agree to sell the tickets?
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Okay, all of you who said you wouldn't sell the tickets for any amount of money either
1. aren't being honest
2. haven't thought it through, or
2. are idiots
Q: Would you sleep with Donald Trump for $1,000,000?
A: Wow. $1,000,000 is a lot of money. Sure.
Q: How about for $50?
A: $50? What do you think I am.
A: We've already established what you are. Now we're negotiating price.
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And to those of you who made promises to your daughters to take them to the game and don't want to see the look of disappointment on her face, let me ask you this: What would be the look on her face if you told her, "Guess what, honey? I got offered enough money for our tickets that I could pay off all of your debt and buy you a nice house and a Mercedes, but a promise is a promise, so I told the guy to go f*ck himself."
On a more serious note, I didn't say I wouldn't sell them, I said I wouldn't sell them without consulting her.
That said, I place a much higher value on life's greatest memories than what any scalper would pay - so unless the guy was crazy I wouldn't be interested. I'd put "crazy" in the $100,000 per ticket range.
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Let's flip the question: How much would you be willing to pay to watch MU play in the title game?
Sure, you could probably sit courtside for under $5k per ticket, but let's say it's undefeated Marquette against undefeated Blue Blood U. and the prices are sky-rocketing. How high are you willing to go?
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Let's flip the question: How much would you be willing to pay to watch MU play in the title game?
Sure, you could probably sit courtside for under $5k per ticket, but let's say it's undefeated Marquette against undefeated Blue Blood U. and the prices are sky-rocketing. How high are you willing to go?
I would sell mine for $7,500 a piece.
I would pay $5,000 for a decent seat. Not nose bleeds.
That being said, either way I would try to go to wherever the game was being played and enjoy the atmosphere even if I can't get a ticket.
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I would sell mine for $7,500 a piece.
I would pay $5,000 for a decent seat. Not nose bleeds.
Pretty tight market - are you a ticket broker?
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Q: Would you sleep with Donald Trump for $1,000,000?
A: Wow. $1,000,000 is a lot of money. Sure.
Q: How about for $50?
A: $50? What do you think I am.
A: We've already established what you are. Now we're negotiating price.
I don't think that's fair Lenny. One topic deals with a straight transaction without moral implications whatsoever.
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Let's flip the question: Let's say it's undefeated Marquette against undefeated Blue Blood U. and the prices are sky-rocketing. How high are you willing to go?
Why would I pay big dollars to watch an intra-squad scrimmage? :-)
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I don't think that's fair Lenny. One topic deals with a straight transaction without moral implications whatsoever.
It was a joke, Glow - not meant to offend or offer a perfect analogy. Sorry if it missed its mark.
My point is simply this: some would considerer those who won't sell their dreams or memories (or "virtue") at any price to be idiots or liars. I disagree with that analysis.
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Havin' been live and in person at da 1977 Final Four I can attest ta it bein' everythin' and more than ya could hope ta imagine. That said, I skipped goin' ta Greensboro in '74 and I'm glad I did 'cuz losin' the final game sucks major ass, ai na?
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Guys, when was the last time we played in a national title game? When was the last time we played in the Final Four? How often have we done either?
If I might die before a rare and very important event occurs....my threshold for selling is going to be significantly higher than if it's less rare.
Let's put it this way, if I'm a Kentucky fan, my answer is considerably different than my Marquette Fandom allows.
Lastly, money doesn't buy happiness, it buys experiences so unless I'm changing how I live my life (able to live care free) I'm not trading a experience like an MU NC for a week Fiji vacation or whatever....I guarantee I'd remember the MU game way more when I die than the time I went on a vacation.
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I guess the real questions is what are your priorities in life. If your are really passionate about MU basketball I could understand why one would not part with tickets to the Championship game. At one point in my life I would have kept the tickets; now I would probably sell.
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Maybe my $10M price tag seems insane, but I mean it. Money just isn't that valuable compared to experiences. I don't hate my job. The whole point of working is to have the money and time to do what you want. That's it. Marquette last won the title when I was a month old. I would rather have a once in a lifetime experience than a trifling $100,000 that I could earn in a little over a year.
As far as what I'd pay, pretty much whatever it took. If I needed to take a loan to do it, I would.
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Maybe my $10M price tag seems insane, but I mean it. Money just isn't that valuable compared to experiences. I don't hate my job. The whole point of working is to have the money and time to do what you want. That's it. Marquette last won the title when I was a month old. I would rather have a once in a lifetime experience than a trifling $100,000 that I could earn in a little over a year.
As far as what I'd pay, pretty much whatever it took. If I needed to take a loan to do it, I would.
Bravo!
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I don't think that's fair Lenny. One topic deals with a straight transaction without moral implications whatsoever.
Glow, for what it is worth, depending on what you're forgoing by using the tickets, there are moral implications. Perhaps, not the kind that Lenny was hinting at, but there's a real issue associated with the allocation of resources. Spending or forgoing absurd amounts of money to engage in what amounts to personal pleasure has very serious ethical and moral implications.
Hey, I did stay awake in those theology and philosophy classes!
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Guys, when was the last time we played in a national title game? When was the last time we played in the Final Four? How often have we done either?
If I might die before a rare and very important event occurs....my threshold for selling is going to be significantly higher than if it's less rare.
Let's put it this way, if I'm a Kentucky fan, my answer is considerably different than my Marquette Fandom allows.
Lastly, money doesn't buy happiness, it buys experiences so unless I'm changing how I live my life (able to live care free) I'm not trading a experience like an MU NC for a week Fiji vacation or whatever....I guarantee I'd remember the MU game way more when I die than the time I went on a vacation.
...and if that experience turn out to be unhappy then what?
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...and if that experience turn out to be unhappy then what?
Then so what? It's the past. Living your life for woulda, coulda, shoulda is just stupid. Don't lament it, embrace your decisions, learn from them, and live with the consequences.
I learned everything I need to know about this topic in 2003. I made two mistakes that year. Here they are:
1) After we beat Kentucky, I celebrated in the building with Marquette fans, but I really wanted to be on campus. Instead of staying in Minneapolis, I drove home. By the time I got back to Milwaukee, it was late, I was exhausted, and celebrations were dying down. Where I should have been was in Minny, enjoying the moment and celebrating like a madman.
2) I was out of money and didn't go to New Orleans the next week. I probably could have begged my parents for more, but I didn't. My junior year, I should've went to the Final Four. Watching the game at the AMU sucked. Obviously the game sucked, but there wasn't the same buildup, the same energy level to start, the same enjoyment that my classmates who did go described. None of them regretted going, despite how badly it went.
Moral of the story, for me, if we ever go back to the Final Four in my lifetime, I am going. Money will be no object. My wife knows this. She knew this before she married me. I told her this years ago and included in our wedding vows was her uttering the phrase "I promise to love you, respect you, trust you, stay with you, and accept your passion for Marquette basketball as long as we both shall live."
Why? Because I learned from my mistakes of 2003. First, I learned that I need to be in the moment when events like that happen. Second, I learned that money isn't important enough to block me from things I truly want to do. I probably could have got to New Orleans and got in the game for no more than a few hundred bucks. I made the mistake, fine, but I'm never making it again.
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Similar scenario... when the Brewers made it to the post-season in 2007 for the first time in a generation, my wife and I had season tickets, so we had some pretty choice seats on the field level behind the visitor's dugout. Early in the week, the demand for Game 3 tickets (Games 1 & 2 were in Philly) was white hot, so on a whim the day after game 162, I played the "what's my price" game myself and posted the tickets on StubHub or eBay for something like $700 for the pair (face was maybe $85-90 per IIRC).
Now... that was a different situation because a) we had tickets to Game 4, the NLCS and WS if they made it that far, so we were guaranteed to see at least one more postseason game and b) even though CC was likely gone after the season, the Brewers still had a young core that made it likely that they would get back to the postseason at some point in the next few years (which they did). So selling my tickets to Game 3 didn't have the feel like I was foregoing a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Nevertheless, to my surprise, someone actually bought them within a couple hours of posting, and my heart sank. Fortunately, I turned around a pair of Loge-level seats at the last minute for $200... so that made me feel a heck of a lot better, and in fact, I was quite happy to downgrade my seats for $500.
And because I'm an idiot, I did the same thing four years later, except it was Game 5 of the divisional round (the Tony Plush "fu@k yeah" game-winning single). In that case I actually forgot that I had posted the tickets a week earlier and woke up in the morning to a "Your Tickets Have Sold" email. Again, I was able to scramble for replacement tickets and ended up in the Club level for about $100 less than what I sold the other tickets for. At that point I was not as satisfied with the downgrade, but I was more relieved than anything that I was at the game.
What I think actually happened here was that I allowed the market value of the tickets to bias me, and as a result, I ended up grossly underestimating what "my price" actually was.
So extrapolate that with the possibility of MU's next championship game being the last one I'll have a chance to see in my lifetime, and I don't think I'm going to give a rats pah-toot about what the market value of the tickets is... I'm going to be at that game, unless I'm dead... or in jail... and if I'm in jail, can't break out. My concern is that the sum of money has to be large enough so as to preemptively and unequivocally justify the sale - not just in my eyes, but in the eyes of everyone I meet - because I can promise you that no matter how much money I would get for those tickets, if MU were to win a Natty and I wasn't there, it's going to sting like crazy every time I have someone say to me incredulously, "you actually sold your tickets and weren't going to see about a girl?"
Imagine having a wound that never heals... even if you can get used to the pain over time, it's having salt thrown into it from time to time that makes it unbearable. Therefore, I think $500,000 is enough to keep everyone's mouth shut... or at least enough to pay someone to stitch it shut for them.
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1) After we beat Kentucky, I celebrated in the building with Marquette fans, but I really wanted to be on campus. Instead of staying in Minneapolis, I drove home. By the time I got back to Milwaukee, it was late, I was exhausted, and celebrations were dying down. Where I should have been was in Minny, enjoying the moment and celebrating like a madman.
At least you have a recollection of that evening to tell. All I remember from staying in Minny is waking up at the Crowne Plaza the next morning (with exception to vague recollections of everyone in a bar joining a "Fu@k K-U" chant at some point).
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OK! OK FINE! You've all convinced me... I would put the price tag at 6 figures... you're right.
I have a great friend who went to the final 4 for the badgers two years ago and said he wouldn't trade that experience (even with their loss, thank goodness) for anything. So I think $100,000 would do it just to get me out of student loan debt and then some (MU isn't free... who knew).
Otherwise, yes, it may be once in a life time as many of you said.
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Guys, when was the last time we played in a national title game? When was the last time we played in the Final Four? How often have we done either?
If I might die before a rare and very important event occurs....my threshold for selling is going to be significantly higher than if it's less rare.
Let's put it this way, if I'm a Kentucky fan, my answer is considerably different than my Marquette Fandom allows.
Lastly, money doesn't buy happiness, it buys experiences so unless I'm changing how I live my life (able to live care free) I'm not trading a experience like an MU NC for a week Fiji vacation or whatever....I guarantee I'd remember the MU game way more when I die than the time I went on a vacation.
You made some good points that remind me of my boss shelling out $$$ to see his badgers play in the 1999 Rose Bowl, heck it had been 30+ years of crappy teams. He had fun but he would tell you that it was diminished when they were to return to the RB several more times.
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It was a joke, Glow - not meant to offend or offer a perfect analogy. Sorry if it missed its mark.
My point is simply this: some would considerer those who won't sell their dreams or memories (or "virtue") at any price to be idiots or liars. I disagree with that analysis.
Of course dreams have a price. If they didn't, most of you would still be trying to make it as a rock star or a columnist for the NY Times.
And some memories don't have a price (family,etc.) but most do.
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You made some good points that remind me of my boss shelling out $$$ to see his badgers play in the 1999 Rose Bowl, heck it had been 30+ years of crappy teams. He had fun but he would tell you that it was diminished when they were to return to the RB several more times.
This thought entered my mind. Were I a UNC or Kansas fan I wouldn't be as dead set because I'd expect more chances. If we went to 6 Final Fours and won two titles in the next 20 years, my opinion would change. But for the next one, if it ever comes, I will be there.
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Of course dreams have a price. If they didn't, most of you would still be trying to make it as a rock star or a columnist for the NY Times.
And some memories don't have a price (family,etc.) but most do.
I can't think of one that would. Maybe (and it's a big maybe) the birth of a child. Really more important the mother be there for that.
And I mean emotionally, not just physically.
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Everyone is assuming the title game would be a positive experience. Will it be like the North Carolina game or the North Carolina St game. Being there for an actual championship is a lot cooler than being there for a loss. Certainly a blowout like the semi final loss to Kansas would be pure torture. To me seats are a big deal. I have very good seats at BMO Harris and being spoiled with those seats does not make me really want to have significantly worse seats. The championship games generally are not in basketball arenas, so even the lower seats can be bad seats, since there tends not to be the normal rise in the seats on the stadium floor. Being only 5'6" and my wife being 5'2" may mean we simply do not have a good view of the game, when significantly bigger people are sitting or standing in front of us. The TV announcers can be annoying at times, but the people in the seats around you can be much more annoying. At the Marquette home games I choose last year to move up to the higher permanent seats, because the temporary seats you get encroached upon by the people sitting next to you. I am 64 years old and I am much more interested in comfort than partying. I did not go to the 1977 championship game as I was a newly married graduate and money was a much bigger issue to me then. If someone had given me a trip to the championship game, I doubt I would of sold them back then for $5,000. Today I would.
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And yes, I will do the Scoop thing for once and double down. Unless he or she is already financially set for life and has satisfied every financial need he and his family would ever have, anyone who would turn down life-changing money to watch a basketball game is indeed an idiot.
"Sorry, kids, you are going to have take out a crap ton of student loans because I can't help you pay for college. How about if I tell you the story again about how I got to attend the game where Marquette won it all in 2017?"
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Of course dreams have a price. If they didn't, most of you would still be trying to make it as a rock star or a columnist for the NY Times.
And some memories don't have a price (family,etc.) but most do.
Chick - ask someone who works for doctors without borders if his or her dreams have a price.
Most of us have a price for dreams and memories. Some don't or put the price so unreasonably high that in reality they don't. I don't think those folks are liars or idiots.
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Chick - ask someone who works for doctors without borders if his or her dreams have a price.
You are making my point. The dream of working for doctors without borders has a price. The price is the salary they would be making if they had a traditional physician's job. And they paid it.
Some people aren't willing to pay the price. Ask any guy who works as a PR guy for some Fortune 500 corporation instead of writing a music blog for nothing, hoping to eventually land a paying gig at Rolling Stone.
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Everyone is assuming the title game would be a positive experience.
I'm not. It's worth the risk, because I would regret not being there if it was positive.
Some people aren't willing to pay the price. Ask any guy who works as a PR guy for some Fortune 500 corporation instead of writing a music blog for nothing, hoping to eventually land a paying gig at Rolling Stone.
And some people are. In my opinion, those that would sell those seats are just as idiotic as you think we are. Bottom line, you can't take it with you. At the end of the day, you teach your kids so that they can take care of their own responsibilities. And no matter what, experiences are always, always, always more important than money in your bank account.
If you prefer to hoard money and count each penny as though that copper will keep you warm in your casket, be my guest.
The simple truth is I figured out the meaning of life long ago, and it's really very simple. To live. I'm going to get the most out of my experiences, and I don't know that any experience would give me more joy than being there for a Marquette national title.
If paper and coin gives you more joy than experiences, I suppose that's your prerogative. I also suppose you are completely missing the point of what being alive is all about. But I'm glad for it, because the more people willing to give up a once-in-a-lifetime experience for paper, the better seats I'll have when the day comes.
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A friend of mine is a Cubs Season ticket holder and told me today that she turned down $5,000 apiece for some of her World Series tickets.
That got me to thinking: Let's say that when they first went on sale this year, you were able to purchase a pair of decent (good, but not amazing) tickets to the NCAA Final Four. As fate would have it, the gods smiled on the Warriors, and they find themselves in the championship game.
What is the price point at which you would be willing to sell those seats? For argument's sake, let's say that you have to sell both tickets, and you wouldn't be able turn around and buy cheaper seats elsewhere in the stadium - you'd have to watch the game on television somewhere else.
I am interested in your honest answers. And don't tell me you wouldn't sell them under any circumstances. If someone offered you $1 billion for the pair, you know you'd take it. My guess is most answers will be somewhere between that and face.
Probably $100,000.
This convo got me thinking. My buddy was on the waiting list for years and received 3 Cubs Bleacher season tickets last year. Talk about market timing. He made a decent amount of coin during the regular season going to about every third game. Unlike the regular season where it's first-come, first served -- playoff bleacher seats are numbered and get got 6th row tickets this year and last. His approach is exactly how I would do it -- he went to one playoff game per series last year and sold off the rest. This year, he will only attend when the game is a potential series ender. So, he has attended one game so far -- the pennant winner last week. The rest he continues to make huge money on. His seats are going for upwards of 3G per seat for the next three home games. I would sell all games before Game 5 Sunday.
I have went to the first games of every Cubs playoff series this year and plan to go on Friday. I bought Giants/Cubs tickets last week for my wife, little sister and childhood friend who is a lifelong Cubs fan and teacher. You can't take that bottom-of-the-eighth Montero grand slam away from me -- I still get goosebumps thinking about it and couldn't talk for a few days. Likewise, when Dwade went off in Minneapolis or when Devin Hester took back the opening kick-off in Super Bowl XLI or when Jordan closed out the Jazz at the United center in '97. I probably spend more than most on tickets/events, but to me, life is about memories - and I love sports. My mom died when she was younger than I am right now, so as long as I am being moderately responsible and saving a few bucks, I try to seize the day. Even saying that, I can't think of a real scenario in which I would be shut out of an event. Marquette in final four/national championship = whatever it takes. Man, I hope that day does come.
Using the $5,000 example from above -- if I was your friend I would have sold most of the tickets except for a game a series.
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And yes, I will do the Scoop thing for once and double down. Unless he or she is already financially set for life and has satisfied every financial need he and his family would ever have, anyone who would turn down life-changing money to watch a basketball game is indeed an idiot.
"Sorry, kids, you are going to have take out a crap ton of student loans because I can't help you pay for college. How about if I tell you the story again about how I got to attend the game where Marquette won it all in 2017?"
If I've raised him right he'll understand because he feels the same way and was there.
True Story, I went to the Fiesta Bowl in 1987 with my dad to watch Penn State beat Miami and basically win a National Championship. I was 6 and so some of the hub bub at the time was lost on me but I vividly remember how fun it was and how much it meant to my dad. I don't think either of us would trade that experience for anything. At the time my parents were considerably more hard pressed for money then I am around this point so why pass it up?
And what lesson does it send to my kids that money matters more than experiences and loyalty?
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And yes, I will do the Scoop thing for once and double down. Unless he or she is already financially set for life and has satisfied every financial need he and his family would ever have, anyone who would turn down life-changing money to watch a basketball game is indeed an idiot.
I make more money now than I ever have in my life, and I'm no happier than I was when I was a dirt poor college student. Money does not equal happiness. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.
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You are making my point. The dream of working for doctors without borders has a price. The price is the salary they would be making if they had a traditional physician's job. And they paid it.
In no way am I making your point. Your point was that anyone who says they would turn down life changing $ for a dream or a memory is a liar or an idiot. That's what MDs who work for Doctors without Borders do every day. I don't think they're either (liars or idiots, that is).
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My opinion:
If you truly need the money, sell and get whatever you can.
If you don't, there's no right or wrong answer. Any number or no number at all is defensible. Fair value is a matter of opinion - nothing more, nothing less.
Interesting topic.
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If I've raised him right he'll understand because he feels the same way and was there.
And what lesson does it send to my kids that money matters more than experiences and loyalty?
So if your kid would rather have his student loans paid off than go to a basketball game, you would think you've failed as a parent?
For some people, the "experience" of being at a big sporting event isn't as important as money, regardless of how much money that person has.
In addition, there are other experiences that could take place at a different locale. Personally, I think it would have been an amazing, indescribable experience to be at Wrigley for Game 6 of the NLCS, but had I paid big money to go to that game, I wouldn't have the amazing, indescribable experience of watching the pennant-clinching double play with my wife, parents, brother, sister-in-law, sleepy kids and nephews. If I could have gone to that game for free but missed seeing my 67yo, hard-nosed, father tear up and mumble, "My brother would have loved this" it wouldn't have been worth it. Perhaps I'm just not loyal enough to my teams.
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This is a problem I would like to have.
Conversation probably starts at $20k for the pair. Don't tell my wife.
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So if your kid would rather have his student loans paid off than go to a basketball game, you would think you've failed as a parent?
For some people, the "experience" of being at a big sporting event isn't as important as money, regardless of how much money that person has.
In addition, there are other experiences that could take place at a different locale. Personally, I think it would have been an amazing, indescribable experience to be at Wrigley for Game 6 of the NLCS, but had I paid big money to go to that game, I wouldn't have the amazing, indescribable experience of watching the pennant-clinching double play with my wife, parents, brother, sister-in-law, sleepy kids and nephews. If I could have gone to that game for free but missed seeing my 67yo, hard-nosed, father tear up and mumble, "My brother would have loved this" it wouldn't have been worth it. Perhaps I'm just not loyal enough to my teams.
I don't have a family connection like yours with the Cubs for Marquette so my viewpoint is different...I'd want to experience the game with friends and my son on site versus in front of a TV.
And yes I've failed my son if he values money over experience and if he can't make decisions that prevent him from having crippling debt. Again, that's my world view, doesn't mean it has to be other people's. I'm not judge those that would sell, merely explaining why I wouldn't unless it's really high
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If I've raised him right he'll understand because he feels the same way and was there.
True Story, I went to the Fiesta Bowl in 1987 with my dad to watch Penn State beat Miami and basically win a National Championship. I was 6 and so some of the hub bub at the time was lost on me but I vividly remember how fun it was and how much it meant to my dad. I don't think either of us would trade that experience for anything. At the time my parents were considerably more hard pressed for money then I am around this point so why pass it up?
And what lesson does it send to my kids that money matters more than experiences and loyalty?
It's not that money matters more. Perhaps the money you would get from selling tickets to the Championship game would afford you the opportunity to experience something you value more.
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It's not that money matters more. Perhaps the money you would get from selling tickets to the Championship game would afford you the opportunity to experience something you value more.
Correct but for me the only experience I value more(that money can buy) than witnessing a MU NC in person is being able to afford my wife and I to leave our jobs and spend most of our time as a family with limited need to work
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Q: Would you sleep with Donald Trump for $1,000,000?
Smuggles McHeisy: Hell, I'd pay him for the chance!
But seriously folks ...
Loves my Warriors. Went to Brooklyn last year (glad I did!), and I just a few minutes ago bought tickets to the Georgia game. But I'm also pragmatic.
For $10K for the pair, I could do an awful lot of good for my family and/or my charities of choice. I'd seriously consider going to whatever city the game is in so I could party afterward, but I'd give up the game tix.
OK, maybe $20K. But I'd give 'em up.
Hey chickadee ... Great topic! Lots of fun to hear everybody's answers.
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It was a joke, Glow - not meant to offend or offer a perfect analogy. Sorry if it missed its mark.
My point is simply this: some would considerer those who won't sell their dreams or memories (or "virtue") at any price to be idiots or liars. I disagree with that analysis.
Fair enough. But ANY price is awfully high. I agree that things like honor or integrity aren't what you're talking about.
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Fair enough. But ANY price is awfully high. I agree that things like honor or integrity aren't what you're talking about.
I don't think it is. I'd double down by saying if I got a billion dollar lottery ticket, I'd happily trade it for $10M and a Marquette Championship. At some point, no matter how much you have, it's all equal.
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I don't think it is. I'd double down by saying if I got a billion dollar lottery ticket, I'd happily trade it for $10M and a Marquette Championship. At some point, no matter how much you have, it's all equal.
For half of that $990 million you could buy Marquette a championship and pocket the rest. Just sayin'.
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I would sell cubs world series tickets. I'm a life long fan but 8k a piece is pretty big for a college student.
I wouldn't sell Marquette championship tickets because the demand would simply not be there like it is for the cubs.
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And yes, I will do the Scoop thing for once and double down. Unless he or she is already financially set for life and has satisfied every financial need he and his family would ever have, anyone who would turn down life-changing money to watch a basketball game is indeed an idiot.
"Sorry, kids, you are going to have take out a crap ton of student loans because I can't help you pay for college. How about if I tell you the story again about how I got to attend the game where Marquette won it all in 2017?"
With all due respect, I find your comments sad. You seem to value the almighty dollar over experiences with loved ones.
I am very financially comfortable, but not yet to the point where I can satisfy every financial need I will ever have. Still, I am willing to take the chance that I can make the money I'll need (within the next two or three years) in exchange for the experience of a lifetime with my daughter.
Let me ask you - are you completely set for life? If not, are you an idiot for not talking your kids out of going to MU when they could get an equally good (or perhaps better) education for less money? If not why not? Are you an idiot for donating money to MU when you could have used the money to get closer to being set for life? If not, why not? Why do you get to sacrifice $$$ for what you or your kids want (but don't need), while others can't?
Taking your point to the extreme, a person is an idiot if they don't pick the cheapest possible version of everything - EVERYTHING - until they are set for life. That Disney vacation? You were an idiot for not just doing a staycation. Those Levis your kid wanted? You were an idiot not to get $10 generic jeans. Money over memories, Chick.
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If anything, I think what people should take away from this thread is that a found $ is much less valuable than a $ out-of-pocket. Likely has to do with the intangibility and uncertainty of the former.
Another angle... if someone is crazy enough to pay your price, would you accept the money? If I said $100,000,000 and someone actually accepted, I'd probably be a little afraid for my life and/or concerned about where the money came from.
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I think you need to keep the scale in mind. I value experiences over money. But I recognize that with money I can create more and better experiences for others and myself. Seeing MU in a national championship is a dream of mine. But it's not the dream of my future wife, and might not be a dream of my future kids. I think I would feel guilty if I turned down the opportunity to create that much for others just so I could have my own dream.
That being said, who says you can't sell the tickets and then use the money to buy other tickets? If some schmuck gives you 10 million, use some of that to buy another ticket to the same game!
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With all due respect, I find your comments sad. You seem to value the almighty dollar over experiences with loved ones.
I am very financially comfortable, but not yet to the point where I can satisfy every financial need I will ever have. Still, I am willing to take the chance that I can make the money I'll need (within the next two or three years) in exchange for the experience of a lifetime with my daughter.
Let me ask you - are you completely set for life? If not, are you an idiot for not talking your kids out of going to MU when they could get an equally good (or perhaps better) education for less money? If not why not? Are you an idiot for donating money to MU when you could have used the money to get closer to being set for life? If not, why not? Why do you get to sacrifice $$$ for what you or your kids want (but don't need), while others can't?
Taking your point to the extreme, a person is an idiot if they don't pick the cheapest possible version of everything - EVERYTHING - until they are set for life. That Disney vacation? You were an idiot for not just doing a staycation. Those Levis your kid wanted? You were an idiot not to get $10 generic jeans. Money over memories, Chick.
I love my kids more than I love Marquette. There, I said it. And if I had the opportunity to significantly improve their lives and all I had to give up was one basketball game, I would do it.
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I think you need to keep the scale in mind. I value experiences over money. But I recognize that with money I can create more and better experiences for others and myself. Seeing MU in a national championship is a dream of mine. But it's not the dream of my future wife, and might not be a dream of my future kids. I think I would feel guilty if I turned down the opportunity to create that much for others just so I could have my own dream.
I agree completely. Part of my decision was based on the belief that taking my daughter to a MU championship game would be the best experience we could have together. One of my best memories of childhood was being at the Omni in '77 with my dad and brothers, and my daughter has talked for years about the dream that she and I could share that someday. A few years ago, we went through some very difficult times as a family...but the one place where she and I always could find common ground and reasons to smile was at MU games. When I ask what her favorite childhood and adolescent memories are, she lists meeting Steve Novak after her first game in person, meeting Dominic James in the Spirit Store, being in DC (and staying at the team hotel) for the Elite Eight run...where she met Davante, Chris, et al, going to the MU picnic.
I ask about stuff like the Disney trip when she was about 6, Paris at Christmastime, hiking in Sedona, visiting a friend in Seoul...and she says "oh yeah, that stuff was nice too."
A joke in my wife's family was playing which of grandma's momentos they all wanted when she died - a sort of gallows humor. One day I asked my daughter what would be the first thing she'd take when I die, and without hesitation she replied that she'd take my framed '77 ticket stubs.
So yes, the scale and importance of a given experience is critical, and my answer was given withexactly that thought in mind.
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I love my kids more than I love Marquette. There, I said it. And if I had the opportunity to significantly improve their lives and all I had to give up was one basketball game, I would do it.
Me too. That's why my answer hinged on what my daughter wanted to do. If she wanted to take the cash, I'd give it to her without hesitation. And if she wanted to keep the tickets, I'd do that without hesitation too.
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Nice question Chick. A couple of answers:
1) I have Bears season tickets. As such, I was entered in and won the lottery for 2005 Super Bowl tickets. Before I called my Brother-in-Law who lived north of Miami and offered him a ticket in exchange for a place to stay, Ms. Dgies insisted I check the secondary market for the Super Bowl tickets. As a result, $1,200 worth of tickets sold for $5,200. Paid for a Cabo vacation and a big-screen plasma television.
2) But, even though I am a Bears ticket holder, I have been a die-hard Packer backer since I was a very small child. I get the Bears tickets in part to go to the Packers game (which is delaying my Christmas trip to Florida this year). A few years back, the Bears played the Packers in the NFC Championship at Soldier Field. Ms. Dgies suggested I call the secondary market on these tickets. I told Ms. Dgies that she would not be Ms. Dgies much longer if she kept talking that kind of nonsense. I went to the game.
3) My love of and loyalty to Marquette is exponentially greater than even my joy in Packer wins. If I had Final Four tickets (and trust me, when we get there, I will), nothing will extract those tickets from me. Nothing.
Oh and GOOOO, I have the same deal with my daughter. She's attending another university, but I raised her well and she was, is and always will be a Warrior!
If you let me do an exorcism of that Cardinals thing at Soft Pines this summer, there might be hope for you.
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I was confronted with this issue in the 2000 subway series between the Yankees and the Mets. I had 24 tickets to each game of the World Series and opted for taking market price and watching on TV. I was not a true fan of either so the decision was easy.
For an MU national championship the decision would be a little harder, but at some 5 figure number I would start considering it. If someone in my family was playing for MU at the time there would be no price I would sell.
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I love my kids more than I love Marquette. There, I said it. And if I had the opportunity to significantly improve their lives and all I had to give up was one basketball game, I would do it.
Nobody has:
1. Suggested they love Marquette more than their kids
2. Said they wouldn't give up a basketball game to significantly improve their lives.
That's moving the goalposts to defend your "Anyone who won't sell dreams or memories is a liar or an idiot".
The funny thing is that in reality we're talking about a couple thousand dollars, not the chance to buy someone a house or a private plane. But why such hostility towards those who think sharing once in lifetime wonderful memories with their kids is more important than buying them a private plane? Are people who have been given one necessarily happier and better adjusted than those given happy, once in a lifetime memories? Not in my experience.
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If you let me do an exorcism of that Cardinals thing at Soft Pines this summer, there might be hope for you.
Not going to happen.
My Dad was a Cubs season ticket holder for years when my parents lived in Chicago. My Mom, brothers and sisters were all Cub fans. I used to go out in the car in the evening during the summer in Solon Springs and listen to Jack Buck and Mike Shannon on KMOX.
Amid all the static, there was my Cardinals. Nope, Soft Pines, yes. Cardinals... will still be there!
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That's moving the goalposts to defend your "Anyone who won't sell dreams or memories is a liar or an idiot".
The funny thing is that in reality we're talking about a couple thousand dollars, not the chance to buy someone a house or a private plane. But why such hostility towards those who think sharing once in lifetime wonderful memories with their kids is more important than buying them a private plane? Are people who have been given one necessarily happier and better adjusted than those given happy, once in a lifetime memories? Not in my experience.
Where exactly did I say anything about selling dreams and memories? I was specifically speaking about selling tickets to a Marquette championship game, and yes, it theory, there would be an acceptable price point for any reasonable person.
No one in their right mind would say that there is literally not enough money in the world to get them to part with a pair of sporting event tickets in which no one they cared about on a personal level was participating.
It was a fantasy question, strictly for grins, and now the fun has been sucked out of it.
(http://media.tumblr.com/f813c18df8285d784e240d9cf7f0f9ec/tumblr_inline_mls5uzpvjX1qz4rgp.gif)
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It was a fantasy question, strictly for grins, and now the fun has been sucked out of it.
(http://media.tumblr.com/f813c18df8285d784e240d9cf7f0f9ec/tumblr_inline_mls5uzpvjX1qz4rgp.gif)
Now you know how all of us married guys feel.
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So you pose a question about what a once in a lifetime experience is worth and when some people say it's effectively priceless, you take your ball and go home?
For some people, there are more important things than money, and for some here, a Marquette title is one of those things.
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For what it's worth chick, I thought it was good and thought provoking. Problem is some people over think stuff.
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Count me in the group that firmly believes found money isn't the way to improve my life, or my child"s life. If it ever does, I will be disappointed in myself as a person and/or a parent.
To each their own, however. I have no problem with people who chase the dollar... we all choose different paths and mine is simply about something else. I don't think that makes me an idiot.
Excellent topic, though. Probably one of the better ones we've had recently.
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Where exactly did I say anything about selling dreams and memories? I was specifically speaking about selling tickets to a Marquette championship game, and yes, it theory, there would be an acceptable price point for any reasonable person.
No one in their right mind would say that there is literally not enough money in the world to get them to part with a pair of sporting event tickets in which no one they cared about on a personal level was participating.
It was a fantasy question, strictly for grins, and now the fun has been sucked out of it.
(http://media.tumblr.com/f813c18df8285d784e240d9cf7f0f9ec/tumblr_inline_mls5uzpvjX1qz4rgp.gif)
I just don't think people should be called idiots or liars for giving an opinion. I was at the Elite 8 game against Kentucky and still remember that whole trip whenever I see a clip. My dad tells me about being at the 82 World Series and his memories of 77. Those are special moments.
If I'm paying face value for tickets like this, I think I'm in good enough position to not compromise my children's future. I won't be there alone. If I'm lucky enough to be with my family, that's a special memory. I've been to the Big East tourney with my dad, and even an early MU loss (to ND who sucks) couldn't dampen how much fun that was.
That type of feeling is why it would be tough to give up the tickets for even a great price. I definitely respect the opposite opinion and there are many variables. I don't have children yet, so may change my mind when that happens. However, I think I can do well by them without having to sell tickets for a lottery type of return.
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I have to say I fall in on the "experience" side of this argument. I look at it another way. I live outside the USA and get the chance to go to ANY MU game about once every 3 years. For that chance, in the last few years I have
a) scalped courtside seats at over $1000 for 2... and I can't even remember who we were playing
b) scalped the best available seats at the BC for a sold out game vs. Bucky... for a stupid amount of money
c) (twice) bought the whole family a BC box for whatever game it was and had a great day out with 20 family members. Once was Depaul and the other I can't even remember who we played. Doesn't matter... it was a great experience with the family.
How much did I pay for tickets to see Nolan Ryan's 300th win? don't know... but wouldn't trade it.
Kareem's last game in Milwaukee? doesn't matter, wouldn't trade the experience.
Dr. J's last game in Milwaukee? it was amazing... so glad I saw him live at least once.
My favorite player of all time's last game in Milwaukee - Sydney Moncrief... wouldn't have missed it.
It's a great debate above. Everyone surely has their price, but I'd rather be there.
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The ironic thing about this whole discussion is that if you knew chick or me we are the opposite of folks that 'chase the dollar'. What I think the hangup came down to was the 'not any price in the world' part. For both me and my wife (and others, I suspect) there are greater 'goods and memories' that are available besides a two hour basketball game. And when one says that they won't trade those tickets for anything, there's an opportunity cost that must be considered.
I'll do the whole thing another way. Barbara Eden (I Dream of Jeannie) shows up and says I can have two tickets to MU's upcoming national championship game OR I can have enough money to pay for all my kids and grandkids college educations AND retire today AND take a world cruise. I'll certainly watch the game on TV. Marquette basketball is FAR from the most important thing in my life.
One more thing. The discussion got pretty close to a series of personal insults. Let's all try to stay friends, okay?
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One more thing. The discussion got pretty close to a series of personal insults. Let's all try to stay friends, okay?
On that note, I apologize if I insulted anyone with my comments. I was challenging folks to rethink their response, and I didn't do it in the best way.
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The problem is that you also have to have a buyer willing to spend the ridiculous amount.
I could say I'd sell my Marquette NC tickets for $100,000. Reinvested, that could go along way to paying for my kids (hopefully) going to college in 20 years.
I don't think I could find an actual buyer. The people who can afford that would have other avenues for tickets. I think the people who said "there is no amount I'd sell for" probably factored in reality. No one is willing (or able) to pay the ridiculous sum they require.
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Maybe this is why I veer away from those that would sell, the way most would use the money is not something I find "mission critical". Not judging others at all, but I have limited interest in making my kids college education free. My parents funded their own college education, my wife and I found ways to fund our educations, and I think it will good for my son to learn how to do that as well. So if you eliminate that as something to cover the cost on then all other cost is largely experience based and I think an in person MU NC is a better experience than just about anything else.
Of course the answer changes if it's the 3rd NC in like 10 years.
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The problem is that you also have to have a buyer willing to spend the ridiculous amount.
Again, it was a fantasy question. It's no different than the hundreds of threads we have on Scoop that are basically "What would you do if you were the Marquette coach?". It's not going to happen, but it is fun to speculate.
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Personal opinion, and not having kids myself, I'm sure many will dismiss it. I don't think parents should pay for their kids' education. I think that should be earned, and without going into student loan debt. If that means a degree takes 6 or 8 or 10 years, so be it. I feel the same way about a house.
I feel you learn more and give more value to things you pay for yourself. I watched too many friends wash out of college, drunk on their parents dime, and too many get buried for decades under student loan debt.
When my parents eventually pass, I expect nothing from them. What they do with their money is their choice. That's a big part of why I'm not taking into account all the "life changing money" stuff. I live comfortably enough and don't need life changing money. I love my life and don't need it to change. It's the experiences along the way I value, and a Marquette national title would mean as much for me as a World Series win for the 100-year-old Cubs fans.
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Maybe this is why I veer away from those that would sell, the way most would use the money is not something I find "mission critical". Not judging others at all, but I have limited interest in making my kids college education free. My parents funded their own college education, my wife and I found ways to fund our educations, and I think it will good for my son to learn how to do that as well. So if you eliminate that as something to cover the cost on then all other cost is largely experience based and I think an in person MU NC is a better experience than just about anything else.
Of course the answer changes if it's the 3rd NC in like 10 years.
Truth in what you say and we made both our kids contribute for the exact reason you cited. But Eng, is there literally NOTHING you'd prefer to spend unlimited money on than a single MU basketball game? That's the hangup for me. An all expenses paid world cruise vs. MU hoops in person; total no brainer for me. Look, it's ONLY because we're going to be in MKE for Nursing's big Gala next Friday that I'm willing to go to the exhibition game Saturday. (I think you still owe me a beer!) And I think I'm a diehard and made 90% of the home games over the past 8 years.
As to 'reality', assuming the scalp price for my tickets was something in the 4 figures, sure we'd go to the game and be totally pumped about it. I'm not trading them for an inconsequential amount of money. That would be sacrificing a great memory for nothing.
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Truth in what you say and we made both our kids contribute for the exact reason you cited. But Eng, is there literally NOTHING you'd prefer to spend unlimited money on than a single MU basketball game? That's the hangup for me. An all expenses paid world cruise vs. MU hoops in person; total no brainer for me.
If you're talking any random game, sure. But as we've seen, games like this come along once, maybe twice in a lifetime for a program like ours.
I love to travel, but have no problem saving for trips and going in due course. I think that's part of the disconnect for me. All the things you could spend that unlimited money on will still be there. If you really want that cruise, put away $100/month for a decade and take it.
But watching Marquette win the title? You cannot simply make that happen. Hell, we have billionaire boosters that have tried without success. Chick said I could buy Marquette a title for half a billion, but we all know it's not that simple.
That's why this would have more value for me. Because this isn't something you can do every day. A world cruise, dream house, money to pay for education, those things can always be attained. This? Not so much.
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Truth in what you say and we made both our kids contribute for the exact reason you cited. But Eng, is there literally NOTHING you'd prefer to spend unlimited money on than a single MU basketball game? That's the hangup for me. An all expenses paid world cruise vs. MU hoops in person; total no brainer for me. Look, it's ONLY because we're going to be in MKE for Nursing's big Gala next Friday that I'm willing to go to the exhibition game Saturday. (I think you still owe me a beer!) And I think I'm a diehard and made 90% of the home games over the past 8 years.
As to 'reality', assuming the scalp price for my tickets was something in the 4 figures, sure we'd go to the game and be totally pumped about it. I'm not trading them for an inconsequential amount of money. That would be sacrificing a great memory for nothing.
I do owe you guys a beer but it'll have to be the first real home game ;D
And there is a limit for as I've said before. $10 mil allows me and Mrs Eng to both retire now and spend time volunteering, doing odd jobs we enjoy, travel and most importantly spending time as a family with EngJr.
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Count me in the group that firmly believes found money isn't the way to improve my life, or my child"s life. If it ever does, I will be disappointed in myself as a person and/or a parent.
To each their own, however. I have no problem with people who chase the dollar... we all choose different paths and mine is simply about something else. I don't think that makes me an idiot.
Excellent topic, though. Probably one of the better ones we've had recently.
To clarify, I would sell at a relatively low price not because I'm "chasing the dollar," but because attending live sporting events doesn't really interest me all that much. My couch is comfortable, the beer is cheaper, the wifi is good, there are no crowds, and I can go do something else when the game is over.
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I do owe you guys a beer but it'll have to be the first real home game ;D
And there is a limit for as I've said before. $10 mil allows me and Mrs Eng to both retire now and spend time volunteering, doing odd jobs we enjoy, travel and most importantly spending time as a family with EngJr.
Hey, we're coming up on Bucky. Bringing the young lad to the game? Dressed in Warrior blue of course.
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To clarify, I would sell at a relatively low price not because I'm "chasing the dollar," but because attending live sporting events doesn't really interest me all that much. My couch is comfortable, the beer is cheaper, the wifi is good, there are no crowds, and I can go do something else when the game is over.
I sort of see it like you Sultan. I cherish the memories of NCAA games I've attended and chick and I look forward to traveling to the tournament weekend again.
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Hey, we're coming up on Bucky. Bringing the young lad to the game? Dressed in Warrior blue of course.
Yes to all, including his ear protectors which are in championship blue
#noredforowen
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But watching Marquette win the title? You cannot simply make that happen. Hell, we have billionaire boosters that have tried without success. Chick said I could buy Marquette a title for half a billion, but we all know it's not that simple.
Did those billionaire boosters actually spend a billion? There have been World Series championship purchased for far less. And I bet you could even do it on the up-and-up.
Think about it. Build the best legal athletic dorm in the country, build the best stadium and athletic facilities, hire the best coaching staff (my best guess is that most coaches would sell out way before many of our high-minded Scoopers), engage the best sports PR firms to hype the program. Throw some cash at academics to quash those complainers. Of course, you would also have to hire the best lawyers to fight all the scurrilous claims that MU was cheating...
That would be a fun business model to put together. How much would that actually cost?
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Yes to all, including his ear protectors which are in championship blue
#noredforowen
Ear protectors are this generation's car seats. Just like our parents lets us climb all over the car when they were driving, we took our kids to all sorts of loud events when they were little - rock concerts, NASCAR races, fire engine parades, etc.
They will probably be deaf by the time they are forty. Oh, well, I least I didn't smoke when I was pregnant like our moms did.
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Did those billionaire boosters actually spend a billion? There have been World Series championship purchased for far less. And I bet you could even do it on the up-and-up.
Think about it. Build the best legal athletic dorm in the country, build the best stadium and athletic facilities, hire the best coaching staff (my best guess is that most coaches would sell out way before many of our high-minded Scoopers), engage the best sports PR firms to hype the program. Throw some cash at academics to quash those complainers. Of course, you would also have to hire the best lawyers to fight all the scurrilous claims that MU was cheating...
That would be a fun business model to put together. How much would that actually cost?
Probably the closest parallel to this is Phil Knight at Oregon. Closest they have gotten in basketball is the Elite 8. Lost two football championships.
But they are light years ahead of their past. (Discounting their 1939 national championship of course.) Between 1961 and 1995, they never made the tournament.
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But watching Marquette win the title? You cannot simply make that happen. Hell, we have billionaire boosters that have tried without success. Chick said I could buy Marquette a title for half a billion, but we all know it's not that simple.
Yep. Ask Oklahoma State or Oregon to show you the trophies that T. Boone Pickens ($500 million to OSU) or Phil Knight ($300 million to Oregon...as of 2013) bought.
Also, plenty of studies call into question the true long-term benefits of cash windfalls (the classic example is winning the lottery). Evidence seems to indicate that there is an initial spike in happiness that lasts a few months, but that winners aren't any happier than the general population in the long run. It's hard to quantify because there are so many variables, but I am a firm believer that you benefit far more by earning money than by getting it in a windfall of luck.
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Yep. Ask Oklahoma State or Oregon to show you the trophies that T. Boone Pickens ($500 million to OSU) or Phil Knight ($300 million to Oregon...as of 2013) bought.
Also, plenty of studies call into question the true long-term benefits of cash windfalls (the classic example is winning the lottery). Evidence seems to indicate that there is an initial spike in happiness that lasts a few months, but that winners aren't any happier than the general population in the long run. It's hard to quantify because there are so many variables, but I am a firm believer that you benefit far more by earning money than by getting it in a windfall of luck.
I read a study saying that the magic number is around $75,000. Anything you make over that and your happiness won't really change. Sure, you'll enjoy the initial windfall, but that euphoria won't last. My wife and I make more than that combined, and whether we make $100,000 or $100,000,000 next year I don't think it will dramatically change our happiness.
And as noted, massive financial dumps into programs haven't guaranteed anything for Pickens or Knight. There's no guarantee that donating $495,000,000 would guarantee Marquette a national title either. That's why the memory means more to me. It literally cannot simply be bought.
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I was actually put in this situation last summer when I miraculously scored a 3 night pass to the Grateful Dead's Fare Thee Well run at solider field. I got tickets right when they went on sale for face value and immediately after ticket prices sky rocketed. They got as high as $10,000+
A lot of my friends didn't understand why I wouldn't sell them and I always responded with "I'm not missing this"
Same holds true if/when MU makes the final four/championship. I'm not going to miss it and no amount of money will make me change my mind.
Btw, those 3 nights in Chicago last July were 3 of the best nights of my life. I made the right decision and it's not even close
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But Eng, is there literally NOTHING you'd prefer to spend unlimited money on than a single MU basketball game? That's the hangup for me. An all expenses paid world cruise vs. MU hoops in person; total no brainer for me.
Glow - this is the crux of the matter. Different strokes. No right answer.
For you, an all expense paid world cruise (and the memories it would create) trumps the memories attending an MU national championship game with Chick and your kids. It's a no brainer, not even close, and that's fine.
I also think it's a no brainer - in the other direction. I'll pick that game with my daughter over the cruise and it's not even close. Isn't that fine, too?
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Glow - this is the crux of the matter. Different strokes. No right answer.
For you, an all expense paid world cruise (and the memories it would create) trumps the memories attending an MU national championship game with Chick and your kids. It's a no brainer, not even close, and that's fine.
I also think it's a no brainer - in the other direction. I'll pick that game with my daughter over the cruise and it's not even close. Isn't that fine, too?
Yep. No objection from me.
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Yep. No objection from me.
All good.
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My wife and I are big believers in the concept of "Experiences > Things". When we go on vacation, we emphasize fun experiences.
This increases my price for the tickets. However, we already went to the 2003 FF, which decreases my price. Also, what am I choosing to do with the money? If I'm just automatically putting the money into a dream vacation, that changes the equation. What's the experience that is greater than another FF run? I don't know... I legitimately couldn't think of a dream vacation I'd prefer over watching MU in the championship. I could probably come up with something great for around $50K, though.
Having said all that, FF tickets aren't that difficult to get. I'd probably spend up to five thousand dollars to go regardless of the situation, which puts the multiplier at 10x.
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Having said all that, FF tickets aren't that difficult to get. I'd probably spend up to five thousand dollars to go regardless of the situation, which puts the multiplier at 10x.
And that's just the thing. I'm sure that the price I'd actually pay would be far lower than what I'd sell for. Conversely, if I could sell for that hypothetical "any amount of money" I could just as easily sell and buy seats back at a fraction of the cost.
At the end of the day, all I know for certain is if and when we return to the Final Four and/or Championship Game, I'll be there. As long as I'm still drawing breath, I will be at that game, and can't imagine anything that would keep me from it.
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And that's just the thing. I'm sure that the price I'd actually pay would be far lower than what I'd sell for. Conversely, if I could sell for that hypothetical "any amount of money" I could just as easily sell and buy seats back at a fraction of the cost.
At the end of the day, all I know for certain is if and when we return to the Final Four and/or Championship Game, I'll be there. As long as I'm still drawing breath, I will be at that game, and can't imagine anything that would keep me from it.
We should all get a "we'll never sell damn it" box at said game
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The problem is that you also have to have a buyer willing to spend the ridiculous amount.
I could say I'd sell my Marquette NC tickets for $100,000. Reinvested, that could go along way to paying for my kids (hopefully) going to college in 20 years.
I don't think I could find an actual buyer. The people who can afford that would have other avenues for tickets. I think the people who said "there is no amount I'd sell for" probably factored in reality. No one is willing (or able) to pay the ridiculous sum they require.
What better way to achieve your dreams than to deny another of theirs.
Someone who can burn $100,000 already has tickets or has connections that will find them another way in. If someone is paying you $100,000, rest assured it's their life savings... and to knowingly accept that, you'd have to be a schmuck.