Ticket Czar (General)

Last night as my wife and I pondered the newest way to eat leftover Christmas turkey, (felt like Bubba from Forrest Gump movie..turkey sandwich, turkey and rice, turkey salad…) when just then we happened to hear an ad for the Magic Game at 7pm. Spontaneously, I began to chant, “Lets go magic” and within seconds we were both sorting through the closet for our lucky Magic shirts and my #1 foam finger! We were going to a Magic game! We arrived downtown just in time to be caught up in the sea of loyal fans streaming together toward the Amway Arena. No sooner had I parked than the Redi-Pedi bicycle cab appeared to whisk us to the arena in a flash. As we jumped out of Catherine’s chariot I spotted the ticket office and got in line. The line moved quickly and soon I was jolted into the reality of the moment….The game was SOLD OUT! How could this be? No tickets? No game? No Magic…. No way! Wasn’t there a ticket czar to appeal to? Wasn’t there a bail out program for those poor fans who failed to plan? I turned slowly to break the news to the Magic’s second biggest fan when a booming bass voice rose above the crowd noise….”hey man, you need a couple of tickets?” Life began to move in slow motion as I glided across the street to the friendly fellow who was waving two tickets in the air. Could this be fate? Was I about to complete the perfect spontaneous vacation plan? Hope was running high. Christmas angels burst into song…. As I neared my newest best friend I noticed that he was one of a dozen folks sporting a fistful of tickets and all of them seemed so anxious to get us into the right seats with the best view of all the action…and then I received the initial price estimate for those fans who had failed to plan ahead…(there is a reason that these folks are called scalpers!) My wife and I located a bench to steady ourselves and discuss our plans for such a large purchase. We considered taking on a new mortgage, possibly cashing in some stock or returning a few Christmas presents, but after careful consideration we decided that watching the game from a downtown watering hole with big screens, replays, plenty of drinks, and free popcorn was more in our budget…. and ironically we ran into a few other spontaneous folks who had made the same decision, shared some scalper stories…and we had a really good time cheering on the hometown team! On the way home after a great comeback win, I pondered how the evening had turned out. Washington could learn a few things from this experience. The free market works! 1) The game was sold out – (good product attracts more customers) 2) The scalpers got paid a premium for thinking ahead and taking the risk of buying multiple tickets – (raw capitalism) 3) I did not plan ahead and that did not warrant a bail out. —(Sometimes you don’t get everything you want and you are never too big or too small to fail) 4) I found a creative and affordable way to enjoy the game. (Innovation and creativity will always emerge in a free market) 5) The local pub recognized a need in the marketplace (budget minded, spontaneous and thirsty magic fans) 6) Competition is part of the process – (winning is not guaranteed) --The Magic won! Bucks lost --Some scalpers made great money – some were left with tickets unsold --We failed to plan ahead – we did not get in the game- nobody was to blame – our responsibility! --The $6 beer place sold us two – the other place.. well you get it! 7) Today we are looking at which games we would like to attend in the future so that we can buy the tickets in advance and if my schedule changes…. who knows…. I might just try scalping them....although... what if I commit to purchase tickets in advance and the government names a ticket czar to guarantee that no fan is left behind, no matter how late they try to buy a ticket, and that those who purchased in advance could subsidize my ticket price, or set an income cap for scalpers….Maybe I should just wait? Yes? No? Maybe? Who knows… stranger things are happening today….