College Football is pricing out the Little Man

The price of attending a College Football game can put you in the poor house.

First let me say that I have been blessed in my life. I’m happily married, I have two healthy, smart, beautiful children and a job(s) that I love. Blessed.

I’ve also been blessed in the fact that I have literally loved Clemson athletics since I can remember. There are pictures of me in orange when I was still in diapers. My best friend, the best man in my wedding, Lee and I have been to more football games than I care to count.

Our best personal streak started in 1999 and ended in 2005 where we didn’t miss a home game, went to every bowl and even hit some road games. Ahh to be young and carefree again.

I have a shoe box that I’ve kept since I was a kid, and I put all the tickets to every big event that I’ve attended in that shoe box. I have tickets from football games, concerts, pro sporting events, rasslin’, festivals ect. in that shoe box that dates back to the mid 80’s.

A few weeks ago, just for the sake of reminiscing, I started to dig through that shoe box. I found my ticket from the Gator Bowl when Donovan McNabb and Marvin Harrison went nuts on a stunned Tiger defense. We got smoked 41-0 that New Years Day, but that’s not what sticks out in my mind about the Gator Bowl when I look back at the ticket.

What jumps out to me now is the fact that the face value for that ticket was $30. A major bowl game ticket in 1996, just 20 years ago was $30. That made my jaw drop.

I kept digging to find more prices. I paid $18 to watch Clemson and South Carolina play in 1996. My how times have changed.

My buddy Lee and I still make a game or two here and there. We went to the Notre Dame game this past year. We went to the ACC Championship game as well.

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With a family it’s becoming harder and harder to go to all the games like we used to. The desire is there, don’t get me wrong. We love our Tigers. As a matter of fact we had a guys trip planned for opening day this year.

We were gonna make the trek to Jordan-Hare Stadium to see the Tigers play the Tigers. Well, until the game time and the ticket information was dropped on us. First of all, a 9 p.m. kickoff is ridiculous.

And the most ridiculous part of it all is $110 for the ticket. Yes, one ticket is $110. If I chose to take my family. It would cost $440 just to get in the gate. They are pricing the little man out.

The Clemson-Florida State game in Tallahassee this year is a crisp Ben Franklin per ticket. How do the rich even think that’s an okay price tag to put on the admission to watch 18-22 year olds play football?

I noticed the ticket price gouging when we played Georgia in 2013. You remember the game. We beat the Dawgs on a steamy summer night, under the lights in Death Valley.

Danny Ford was officially put in the Ring of Honor and Sammy Watkins had a highlight reel touchdown catch and run. It cost me over $500 to attend that one game. Tickets, parking, food, drinks, a game program, gas…$500.

There were seven home games that season. The point I’m making, is they have priced the average Joe out of going to games on a regular basis. Saturdays at Death Valley in the fall used to be the fabric of what we did.

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It was what we looked forward to. It was part of who we were. Now, that’s been taken from us. It’s sad. Sad that there is nothing we can do about it and it’s sad that it’s only going to get worse.

The little guy doesn’t matter anymore. The money wins again. Money always wins.

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