I went to the Giants-Bears football game on Sunday night.  It was a fairly crappy game until about the fourth quarter.  Oh and it was cold and rainy, which didn't add to the non-excitement exhibited on the field.  But Wendy got free tickets from a friend, so it was hard to say no.  Here are the reasons why I'll say no in the future: 
  1. The view.  I don't have particularly good eyesight, but even if I did, there are only a handful of seats (right around the 50-yard-line) in a typical stadium where it would make a difference.  Otherwise, I'm constantly craning my neck to see what's happening at the other end of the field, and when that fails, looking up at the giant screens.  You know where else I could sit around and look at a screen?  On my couch.
  2. The refreshments.  I have problems spending more than $1 on a beer, but I realize people need to make money, and many different people are involved in the shipping and handling of my beer from the factory through the stadium to my mouth.  But honestly, $8 for a single crappy beer in a 10-ounce plastic cup?  And $6 for a pretzel?  The markup is something like 800%, which is one of those things you'd think rational economics would dispense with.  But I like beer and pretzels.
  3. The people.  I only like about 10 people on this planet, and as unlikely as the odds are, not one of the 80,000 drunk Italians at the game were in my circle of 10.  It's weird how that works.  Also, I could do without that lone Bears fan with the loudest human voice I've ever heard sitting directly behind me.
  4. The effort.  Drive an hour to the stadium.  Navigate a maze of parking options while being yelled at by angry parking attendants.  Walk 12 miles up to our seats.  Sit around in cold rain, waiting for commercial time-outs.  Watch a three-and-out football game for three hours.  Walk 12 miles back to the car.  Sit in angry, drunk stadium traffic while being yelled at by angry parking attendants.  Make it home after midnight, making a 60-minute football game a 6-hour ordeal.
We just got an HDTV last week.  There's almost no reason to ever leave the house again. #sports