ABC's 20/20 "Whatever happened to the middle class"?

[TexasHusker]

I was going to bring up sporting events but didnt want to stray too far...but since you made a good point...

Was speaking with my FIL this weekend. When he was in college in the 70s in ft lauderdale...he had season tickets to the miami dolphins. Total cost for the entire season was $75! My dad has a friend who has season tickets to the steelers...a single game costs $230 for one seat.

Im not sure what $75 adjusted for inflation is but it may not even equate to a single NFL game.

When my dad and mom go to a game...between driving there, hotel, food, 2 tickets...they're pushing $600-$700. Good luck for a factory worker with a family of 4 ever attending an NFL game. Depending on how much they can save from each pay check...it may take them several months for a family of 4 to attend a single game. Its kind of heart breaking if you ask me.

Thank goodness for salary caps 👍

[Nutria]

When my dad and mom go to a game...between driving there, hotel, food, 2 tickets...they're pushing $600-$700. Good luck for a factory worker with a family of 4 ever attending an NFL game. Depending on how much they can save from each pay check...it may take them several months for a family of 4 to attend a single game. Its kind of heart breaking if you ask me.

Put it on the CC and pay it off over 15 years!!

[Nutria]

Thank goodness for salary caps 👍

The purpose of salary caps was team parity, not fan affordability.

[Singuy]

I believe most people who are stuck in lower class income are people who ended up with children without any financial stability. Too many people not going to school, quitting school, or drop everything they were doing for the purpose of raising children they were not prepared for.

To solve the poverty issue or the shrinking of the middle class issue is NOT to increase min wage..since I believe that does very little. What needs to be done is to have companies promote upward mobility(ie. pay for schooling or train employees to be leaders or to have other skills).

It'll be nice as well to have the government provide trade schools (plumbers/electricians/construction) for a very low cost or free...as well as supplementing or providing free day care for very low income earners. This can actually help those who choose to get out of their situation while improving the economy as a whole..vs dragging on the economy.

I know if I was a single parent or a parent with 2 kids working a min wage job..I have very little choice currently to get ahead. How am I suppose to drop everything and learn a trade which can potentially compromise putting food on the table or being evicted from my apt? Now if day care was free..then perhaps the wife can get a job while I take plumbing classes for free to get ahead.

[StormRichards]

I was going to bring up sporting events but didnt want to stray too far...but since you made a good point...

Was speaking with my FIL this weekend. When he was in college in the 70s in ft lauderdale...he had season tickets to the miami dolphins. Total cost for the entire season was $75! My dad has a friend who has season tickets to the steelers...a single game costs $230 for one seat.

Im not sure what $75 adjusted for inflation is but it may not even equate to a single NFL game.

When my dad and mom go to a game...between driving there, hotel, food, 2 tickets...they're pushing $600-$700. Good luck for a factory worker with a family of 4 ever attending an NFL game. Depending on how much they can save from each pay check...it may take them several months for a family of 4 to attend a single game. Its kind of heart breaking if you ask me.

We've turned down free tickets on several occasions for baseball and football games. We refuse to pay the insane parking and concession prices.

My DH was playing poker with the guys last month. Two of them needed to be spotted $10 to play. Both go to games regularly. Hmmm, perhaps they would have $10 for a poker night if they were dropping $100+ at a game several times a month.

[disneysteve]

We've turned down free tickets on several occasions for baseball and football games. We refuse to pay the insane parking and concession prices.

People often "forget" about the ancillary costs of things.

Just last night, I was talking to a PA at my job. She lives in Philly. I live across the river in NJ. She asked if we go out to dinner in Philly often. I said no and one reason is that any dinner in Philly automatically costs us $25 more than a comparable meal in NJ because of the $5 bridge toll and $20 parking cost. She said she had never really thought about that but it certainly made sense.

[Nutria]

My DH was playing poker with the guys last month. Two of them needed to be spotted $10 to play. Both go to games regularly. Hmmm, perhaps they would have $10 for a poker night if they were dropping $100+ at a game several times a month.

Diane Sawyer (and possible Singuy) would think that is mean, cruel, rotten, elistist and accuse you of loving Donald Trump...

[StormRichards]

People often "forget" about the ancillary costs of things.

Just last night, I was talking to a PA at my job. She lives in Philly. I live across the river in NJ. She asked if we go out to dinner in Philly often. I said no and one reason is that any dinner in Philly automatically costs us $25 more than a comparable meal in NJ because of the $5 bridge toll and $20 parking cost. She said she had never really thought about that but it certainly made sense.

Oddly, none of our circle of friends seems to think about things like this. They just spend, spend, spend and then complain when tuition is due for their daughter's athletics and they don't have enough in their checking to cover it.

[rennigade]

We've turned down free tickets on several occasions for baseball and football games. We refuse to pay the insane parking and concession prices.

Thats a good point. I have no interest in attending nfl games simply for the fact that fans take football way to serious. You always see videos of people yelling at each other, fighting...drunk idiots. Because they have to represent "their" team.

[Nutria]

Oddly, none of our circle of friends seems to think about things like this. They just spend, spend, spend and then complain when tuition is due for their daughter's athletics and they don't have enough in their checking to cover it.

Diane Sawyer would also blame Big Business for these people not having enough money for their children's athletics. Obviously the solution is to raise the minimum wage!!

[Nutria]

You always see videos of people yelling at each other, fighting...drunk idiots. Because they have to represent "their" team.

Let's hypothesize "3 fights per weekend with 4 people per fight" for a total of 12 people. That's out of (conservatively) 65,000 people per game * 16 games per week = 1,040,000 game-persons per week.

1.1% of 1% of 1% of all people attending NFL games.

That's a damned low percentage...

[StormRichards]

Let's hypothesize "3 fights per weekend with 4 people per fight" for a total of 12 people. That's out of (conservatively) 65,000 people per game * 16 games per week = 1,040,000 game-persons per week.

1.1% of 1% of 1% of all people attending NFL games.

That's a damned low percentage...

Not quite sure what your point is to this one?

The percentage might be low, but this NFL season has resulted in some serious injuries. Pretty sure even some deaths.

[StormRichards]

Thats a good point. I have no interest in attending nfl games simply for the fact that fans take football way to serious. You always see videos of people yelling at each other, fighting...drunk idiots. Because they have to represent "their" team.

It isn't even about representing their team. Mostly just being drunk idiots.

We've experienced some of this stuff at minor league soccer games, where you don't have people traveling to support their team.

[Nutria]

Not quite sure what your point is to this one?

The percentage might be low, but this NFL season has resulted in some serious injuries. Pretty sure even some deaths.

Because the percentage is soooooooo low, the likelihood that any individual will see such violence is really tiny.

[disneysteve]

Not quite sure what your point is to this one?

I think Nutria's point was that the chance that there might possibly be a fight at a game isn't really a reason not to go since the odds of that happening are quite slim.