Home theater or season tickets? They both can cost a great deal of money but which is the better choice? Let us absorb the season tickets are on the 50 yard line and they only cost ten thousand dollars, for the season, for the four seats. That was the choice of one brother while the other saved his money and put it into a media room in his home. Who is really ready for football season?
The brother with the season tickets is at the game having his tailgate party while the other is shopping for whatever he wants to serve his friends. When game time arrives, the tailgater packs up and he and his guests head to their seats. Security makes sure they do not bring any food or beverages into the stadium. The brother with the home theater is setting up the platters of shrimp, wings and nachos, filling the fridge with beer and answering the door. It is the first game of the year and everyone is excited for the season to start. It could be a Saturday collegiate rivalry or a Sunday Pro match up but the season is exclusively here and the air is charged.
Its game time and the stands erupt as the home team scores its first goal. This is followed by dead silence as there is a challenge. Was the receiver in bounds or not? The season ticket holder waits for a decision while the flat screen fans are pausing, zooming and even pointing at the receiver's foot with a laser to decide for themselves. When the game seasons, the fans in the media room can see the whites of the punt returner's eyes as he looks skyward waiting for the ball. They can hear the loud crack of padding to padding as the ball is jarred loose. Meanwhile the season ticket holder is having trouble seeing past the umbrella that the guy in front opened when the rain started.
Halftime arrives and the folks in the stands get to see the entertainment. The guests in the theater click the picture in picture and watch the other division rivalry being played simultaneously. Meanwhile the host is outside taking the brats and Italian sausage off the grill. The party is just starting for the theater crew. The ticket-holding brother has to climb a long flight of stairs, walk a long hallway, and end a line just to reach the restroom, whether he needs to or not, so as not to miss anything. After all, there is no rewind in the stadium.
After the game, the ticket owner walks to his car and his weekend of football has ended with a long wait in traffic and a tiring drive from the stadium. The media brother has now switched to the 4 o 'clock game and is discussing ordering a pizza for later – which he can do online without leaving his chair. When the late game is over, there is still a game at eight for those diehards. And, if that is not enough, Monday has TV's longest running primetime show known as Monday Night Football, and the same seats are still available.
Home theater or season tickets? For less than the ten grand spent on a few hours of cramped stadium seating, waiting in lines and so-so visibility of home games only, the media fan had all of the following benefits:
• Refreshments available although the whole game
• All the games
• Rewind, stop and zoom
• Close up camera and sound
• Crystal clarity with an unobstructed view
• No annual renewal
It's Monday night and the doorbell rings. It's the season ticket holder. His brother has only one question to ask him in the famous words of Hank Williams Jr. "Are you ready for some football?"