Someone spent $150,000 to attend a soccer match. Not to play. To watch.
CNBC Make It interviewed World Cup fans at Penn Station to ask how much they planned to drop on tickets, travel, and hotels. The range ran from $2,500 to $150,000. Every single person told the reporter it was worth it. This is called lying to justify a purchase you regret the moment your credit card stops smoking.
The games were at MetLife Stadium. That's in New Jersey. You can see the same stadium for free if you stand outside it. The view costs nothing. The experience is nearly identical because you still can't tell what's happening on the field.
Nobody who spends $150,000 on soccer tickets has ever checked a chart. They've never drawn a trendline. They've never calculated cost basis. They just see a thing, want the thing, and then borrow against their house to get the thing. These are the same people who buy SPY calls on Monday because someone on Twitter used three rocket emojis.
The $2,500 guy thinks he's being responsible. He budgeted. He planned. He flew Spirit and shared a motel room with six strangers. He'll spend the next eight months eating ramen and telling coworkers about the time he saw a 1-0 game that ended in penalty kicks. His Roth IRA has $314 in it.
The $150,000 guy doesn't even remember the score. He was in a suite. Open bar. Shrimp tower. He took one photo, posted it, and spent the rest of the match refreshing his engagement metrics. His portfolio is down 40% year-to-date but he doesn't know that because he fired his financial advisor for suggesting he diversify out of Tesla.
Both of them told the camera crew it was worth it. Neither blinked when they said it. That's not confidence. That's shock.
Photo by Johannes Hübner on Unsplash
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