We had several friends over recently. We all sat around chatting and laughing for more than three hours. We talked about our just-completed vacations …
We talked about movies and shows we’d recently watched …
… and we talked a little about things that make us crazy. One of those things stuck with me through the night and I woke up this morning thinking about it. Why do non-fans insist on ruining events for those people who want to attend for the true meaning? The specific event we chatted about was the recent Waste-Management Open held in Phoenix.
This is a golf event. For years it’s been growing in popularity … so much so that it now disrupts traffic in Scottsdale significantly. Sure, it brings in BIG money for the city and even for the state of Arizona, but it’s still a golf event. The problem is, it has become a party event.
This year, partiers disrupted the event so badly that organizers stopped alcohol sales and stopped allowing “fans” into the venue. Media reports indicate a record number of arrests at the 2024 Open.
Two sets of friends last night had attended on different days. Monday, the first day, low-cost and even free tickets were available. The couple who attended said crowds were manageable; access to food and beverage booths was easy; and the view of the golfers was unimpeded.
The other friends went on the weekend. They dropped a sizable chunk of change to see world-class golfers and spend the day with fellow duffers. That didn’t happen! Non-golfers dressed for socializing took over the scene. It stopped being a golf event and turned into a giant party. Women in cocktail dresses and spiky heels hung on the arms of men in slacks and golf shirts who didn’t know the difference between a drive and a putt.
All I can do is wonder why. The cost of admission to the final days was a hefty price to pay for a cover charge. There must be some other way to see and be seen than to ruin a special event for those people who genuinely care about what’s happening on the links. It seems to be something of an epidemic — people paying to attend an event then not spending even a moment enjoying it. How often are boxes at sporting events filled with beer- and cocktail-sipping partiers who know nothing of the game taking place on the field below? More importantly, how much higher are the prices for “the good seats” because teams, athletes and owners know they can get those deep-pocketed non-fans to pay? … and where does that leave the true fans?
There’s a whole world out there just waiting to be explored. Go see the stuff you want to see and leave the other places for those who prefer them.
© The World A to Z, LLC 2023 — Unless otherwise indicated, no compensation was received for this blog.
The World A to Z 
Yes lots of good points. Too many events of all kinds are ruined by people who are not there for the event itself, but to party, get seen, or promote their agendas. There are all kinds of ways to ruin events for true fans. It is self-centered.
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