Know the Costs Before You Make the Promise

My oldest son, Kenneth, obsesses over the Philadelphia Eagles, although he has never been near Pennsylvania. Believe me, there is no other word that fits his love for this team. Maybe it’s their green color scheme or a fascination with eagles. He has a whole wardrobe of Eagles gear, including watches, jackets, hats, jerseys, and even house shoes, gifts that friends and family have given to him over time.

Well, the Eagles are playing the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday in Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium. Tired from my move and 13 days in hotel rooms, when I spoke to him to let him know we were safely in our new home, he mentioned that he wished to see his team play the Falcons. I had missed sending him a gift for his birthday, as it was the same day that we had to be out of our old home.

So, I agreed to pay for two tickets to the game, so he could take his girlfriend or one of his friends. I thought the price of the tickets were close to the costs as when I had season tickets for the Falcons each year at the end of the 1990’s. I assumed the price was no higher than $150 for two tickets, never thinking of looking at the costs on the team website before committing to the purchase.

Well, guess what? $150 will just barely buy one ticket in the highest seats, much less two! No, the cheapest seat located in the nosebleed section was $121.00. Seats in the same section, with the same view of the football field, are different prices, so I chose to let the computer choose the “best seats.” Well, that was over $1000 a ticket! So, he is definitely going to the roof to sit.

And there are the additional costs of $20 per ticket for processing the tickets that they send to your phone, as they don’t issue paper tickets any more at Mercedes Benz Stadium. How in the world can a family of four afford to attend a game, as in the old days? I must seem a true troglodyte to some of you!

I started not to buy the tickets, but my brash and upset son carried on like he was a three-year-old denied the chocolate I had promised to him! Did I mention that he is 50 years of age? He’d told anyone who would listen that I had promised him this outing for his birthday, and I did.

So, I honored my promise, as you can see the ticket above from his phone. Now, I just hope he behaves himself at the game, especially as Atlanta is the underdog. The home town people get upset when you cheer too much for the visitors, particularly if you live in their city. My daughter asked what I would do if I see him getting rambunctious on television, and I told her that I would act like I didn’t know him if I were called to come get him out of jail. I will not spring for bail!

In Luke 14: 25-33, Jesus reminds his followers to count the costs before deciding to be his disciples. He compared not knowing the cost before making a commitment to a man who starts building a home without estimating the costs and is embarrassed and ridiculed by neighbors when he runs out of money and cannot complete the project.

So, I should have known to say, “Let me check the price of tickets and get back to you!” Then when I saw the exorbitant costs of the tickets, I would have bought him a Philadelphia Eagles 4-pack Slate Square Coaster Set for $24.99 or a Philadelphia Eagles 15 ounce 2 coffee mug set for $29.99, or maybe even both!

The moral of the story: Know the costs before you make the promise. It just makes great sense, whether it’s a football game or making a vow to do the will of God in your life.

Fandango prompt is Brash. Ragtag prompt is Troglodyte. Word of the Day is Underdog. Daily Addictions prompt is Spring.