Originally Posted By: bbhero
I disagree.... Hotels or motels charging $200+ a night for a 2 night minimum stay is a big deal... When those same exact rooms were $100 or less the week before. $400 is a lot of money to many people.
It's all a matter of priorities, nothing more. Along with how bad they want it. People of average income think nothing of standing in line to pay $700 to $1,000 for the latest I-Phone. Along with $150.00 a month for service with all the bells and whistles. Which will all be obsolete in 2 years or less. Then they're back in line to do it all over again. When they could have spent 1/4 as much for a phone and service that would more than fulfill their needs. But they don't care about the money. They just want it.
Same with new cars. The more expensive options they pile on them, the more they want it. Even though they could find something for half the price that would do all they require. But instead they end up with huge monthly payments that could have easily been 50% less. But they want more. When you think about it, it has never been easier to separate people from their money than it is today. It's why so few have any in the first place. The savings rate for most working Americans today is pathetic.
Spending money on seeing a NASCAR race is no different. There are just fewer people who want to do it. The question them becomes why? A lot of it is because of what I've just outlined above. They've managed to blow what they have on other things. The other more important fact is the "racing" has become silly, boring, uneventful, and stupid. As the late B.B. King would say, The thrill is gone. The new I-Phone or SUV thrills them more, so that is where they spend their money. No matter how you cut it, NASCAR is no longer getting the job done. You can sleep at home watching it easier than you can in the stands.