DAILY DIRT: ‘I didn’t know it was possible for a beer to cost $14’

Tampa Bay has the highest average ticket price in the NFL at $737. The cheapest is Cleveland at $280 … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 453 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Those who have attended an NFL game recently could probably sum up the experience in two words: Highway robbery — at least when it comes to concession prices.

Tickets aside (that’s an entirely different matter), how much profit do NFL teams really need to make? Let’s be honest — none of those club owners are having to clip coupons before they go buy groceries each week. So why not give the fans a break with more realistic concession prices?

Instead, it seems like most owners are trying to squeeze every last cent out of Joe Fan that they can.

Here are a few examples, thanks to writer Dennis Lee of yahoo.com/lifestyle:

Hot dogs

• Los Angeles Rams: $8.
• Las Vegas Raiders: $8.
• Los Angeles Chargers: $8.
• Chicago Bears: $7.25.

Beer

• Washington Commanders, $14.
• Jacksonville Jaguars, $11.50.
• New Orleans Saints, $11.50.
• San Francisco 49ers, $11.50
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $11.50.

Even the cheapest beer is not exactly cheap. The Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets and Detroit Lions sell their brews for $5 a pop.

“First of all, I didn’t know it was possible for a beer to cost $14, even at a football game,” writes Lee “Maybe some sort of craft brew, but NJ.bet notes these prices are for ‘regular beer,’ which we can assume is mass-market brew.

“On average, fans spend $58 on concessions per game, which is particularly painful when added to the cost of the ticket itself, and maybe parking.” 

Oh, and for those wondering, NFL teams average clearing more $400 million a year, according to gobankingrates.com.

2. We’re not too far into the TV season, but after having time to digest a few episodes of as many shows as possible, here’s my current top five programs:

• 1. “Yellowstone”: We didn’t see hardly any of Jennifer Landon (who plays “Teeter”) in the season premier. Or Piper Perabo as Summer Higgins.
• 2. “NCIS: Hawaii”: Stars of the future: Yasmine Al-Bustami as Lucy Tara and Tori Anderson as Kate Whistler.
• 3. “Blue Bloods”: Granted, this definitive police drama may be getting a bit long in the tooth, but it remains relevant — and interesting.
• 4. “The Walking Dead”: Time to say goodbye to an old friend. It’s been a great 12 years.
• 5. “NCIS”: For me, the emerging star on this venerable classic is Katrina Law as agent Jessica Knight.

3. When would you say the Christmas season actually begins?

Is it immediately after Thanksgiving?

Or how about when the first decorations appear?

Or maybe the first viewing of “Elf” on cable television?

Is it really possible to nail down the “official” start of the Christmas season?

According to survey results provided by the FamilyDestinations.com website, Illinoisans feel Dec. 4 is the first “Christmassy day” of the holiday season. More than 3,000 responded to this inquiry. 

For some, that could be when when they buy a Christmas tree or hang their decorations. Or maybe it’s the weather. By that first week in December it is traditionally rather chilly. Probably some snow, too.

Personally, I always look at the day after Thanksgiving as the official kickoff to the Christmas season.

How about you?

Steve Thought O’ The Day — The first professional sporting event I attended was in the early 1960s. It was an MLB game between the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians. Box seats were $4. Four. Dollars.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He usually doesn’t worry about beer prices.