Two Unrelated Items

A couple of news items lately have piqued my interest, so here I am, sharing.

 

Ballpark Figures are Too High, Fans Say 

A poll shows that baseball fans are unhappy with high ticket prices.

Margaret Costello, a retired teacher from Sandusky, Ohio, assessed blame across the board.

"I'm not happy about the prices," she said this week at the Indians' new camp. "Every sports team in America, every professional athlete, is out of line.

"We have people losing their jobs, and CC Sabathia — I love him, he was my favorite — he gets more millions than a third-world country's national budget?" she said.

"I'm here for spring training, but I think this is the last time. Every year, I get more disillusioned with the millionaire players. Now, with Americans really in a financial bind, these guys keep getting richer? It has to stop." 

I disagree; I don’t think she “assessed blame across the board”.  In fact, she left out the actual guilty party: the fans.  In other words, herself.  If no one bought a ticket to a game, I guarantee prices will drop next season.  A lot.

But that's not going to happen:

Overall, almost 60 percent of poll respondents said going to a game was more expensive than other entertainment they might consider. Yet there was no indication they would stay away because of the prices — only 11 percent who went to a game in 2008 said they aren't likely to go back this year. 

Sports franchises exist to make money.  They’re not out to “get” anyone; they are interested in maximizing profits.  Period. 

Do you know what the difference is between selling 1 ticket for a million dollars, and selling 20,000 tickets for $25? 

Half a million.  Guess which way?

Point is, selling fewer tickets for a higher price can be more profitable.  The teams will continue charging whatever the market will bear. 

And I love that another thing sports fans whine about is the high player salaries.  That tickles me.  High ticket prices and high player salaries.  Hmm.

 

And now for something completely different:

 

9 patients made nearly 2,700 ER visits in Texas 

AUSTIN, Texas – Just nine people accounted for nearly 2,700 of the emergency room visits in the Austin area during the past six years at a cost of $3 million to taxpayers and others, according to a report. 

The $3 million figure comes from this: 

The average emergency room visit costs $1,000. Hospitals and taxpayers paid the bill through government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, Kitchen said. 

Now, before you cry a river for those poor hospitals, bear in mind that these are the same people who charge you $20 for an aspirin.  Or a band-aid.  Or $40 for one of each.  So I’m guessing that the $1.000 figure just might be inflated a bit.  I wonder if the statement that hospitals and taxpayers are footing the bill means that taxpayers are only paying $10 for the band-aid. 

And as for the fact that such a small group accounted for such a large number of visits: doesn’t anyone keep records?  Couldn’t they have figured this out sooner?  Or is it just possible that $10 for a band-aid still shows a profit?