A can of Super Bowl beer - $19. It’s time for price controls on concessions | Whitley
Joe Biden posted a video Sunday criticizing food and beverage companies for downsizing their products but not downsizing prices. With all due respect to the president and “shrinkflation,” America has a bigger economic problem.
Gouge-flation, particularly at sporting events.
Fans are accustomed to un-armed robbery at concession stands, but the Super Bowl really drove that point home. A 16-oz. can of beer cost $18.90. Hot dogs were $13.99. Nachos were $58.58.
To be fair, they were surf-n-turf nachos with pieces of steak and lobster. And with StubHub tickets averaging $8,400, slapping down three $20 bills for nachos probably didn’t bother anyone at Allegiant Stadium.
But what about the rest of us schmucks who are gouged every weekend?
Beer prices (12 oz. cans) range from $5 to $11. 50 at NFL stadiums. The Celtics charge $19.87 for a 16 oz. beer. The San Francisco Giants patted themselves on the back for reducing beer prices from $14 to $9 last season at selected concession stands.
“Coming out of two years with the pandemic, and the lockout last year, it’s kind of like our fans deserve a break,” CEO Larry Baer said.
Paying $9 for a can of beer is now considered a break?
I get that this is capitalism at work. Nobody is forcing fans to pony up. The government, which gave us runaway inflation, shouldn’t interfere with the free market.
But at the risk of sounding like an old man yelling at the Budweiser Clydesdales to get off his lawn, I’d be for price controls on concessions. If nothing else, there should be Congressional hearings.
Talk about racking up political points. Biden (or Donald Trump) could sew up the election if they promised to deport anyone guilty of gouge-flation. Somehow, I think sports would survive if teams could charge only $10 for a Budweiser tall boy.
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Stud of the Week: The SEC, which announced it distributed $51.2 million to each school in the 2022-2023 fiscal year. Another $25 million, and Texas A&M would have gotten enough to pay Jimbo Fisher’s buyout.
Dud of the Week: Everybody who predicted Taylor Swift would have a Yoko Ono Effect and distract the Chiefs into football oblivion.
Dud II: Taylor Swift, for leaving a Godzilla-sized carbon footprint flying from Tokyo to Las Vegas to see her beau play. Hey, I’ve got to pick on her for something.
Dud III: UCLA. Chip Kelly left to become offensive coordinator at Ohio State? Can you imagine an SEC head coach leaving to become OC at another SEC school? (Florida fans, don’t answer that).
Stud for the Ages: Former UF women’s tennis coach Andy Brandi, who passed away at age 72. His team won three NCAA championships, 14 regular-season SEC titles and he retired with a .914 winning percentage, the highest of any coach in NCAA history.
If there’s tennis in heaven, Saint Peter’s will soon develop a killer backhand. …
Georgia QB Carson Beck posted a photo of him accepting the keys to a $270,000 Lamborghini last week. Considering the Bulldogs’ police reports since 2015 (300 driving-related offenses), it would have been a much better look for Beck to get a used Ford Fiesta with four flat tires? …
Thanks to a new marketing deal with Emirates airline, the NBA’s In-Season Tournament will be renamed the Emirates NBA Cup. That replaces the “Nobody Cares Cup” that was previously used. …
Tay-Tay Effect: Between TV ratings, merchandise sales, etc., Travis Kelce’s girlfriend had a $330 million impact on the NFL and the Chiefs even before the Super Bowl. If this keeps up, next year’s Super Bowl will be a Swift concert and the game will be played at halftime. …
Something’s wrong in a world where Kadarius Toney has two more Super Bowl rings than Barry Sanders. …
UGA redux: Beck’s $270,000 Lamborghini did not break the school car-player record held by Herschel Walker, who was given a Chevy dealership following the 1980 season. …
49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings threw a TD pass and caught a TD in the Super Bowl, but he still drives a 2014 Nissan Maxima his parents bought him when he played for Tennessee. Jennings’ father told the Nashville Tennessean that his son is waiting to sign a new contract which will allow him to buy a fancy new car and two Michelob Lights at the next Super Bowl.
Emirates II: As part of its NBA sponsorship, the airline will also have advertising patches on referees’ shirts and commissioner Adam Silver will paint the airline's logo on his bald head during the NBA Finals. …
FSU recruit Amaree Williams held his signing ceremony at a Palm Beach Shore marina last week and arrived in a $4.5 million yacht. Let’s hope things work out better than they did for Willie Taggart, who signed his FSU coaching contract on the deck of the Titanic. …
Breaking News: ESPN has offered Taylor Swift $1 billion if she’ll start dating LeBron James. …
That’s about all the space we have for this week’s Whitley’s Believe It or Not. Till next time, if you give $60 to a homeless person, please don’t make them spend it all on an order of nachos.
David Whitley is The Gainesville Sun's sports columnist. Contact him at dwhitley@gannett.com. Follow him on X @DavidEWhitley
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Gouging fans for beer and nachos is a national crisis
