Tonight is the night that a champion of the college football season is crowned.
Though the real winner of the night will be whoever goes to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia (where the game is being held) and takes advantage of the affordable concession prices that the venue boasts. I would imagine that a ticket to the culmination of the College Football Playoff would cost you a pretty penny, but once you have your seat, you wouldn't be forking over that much more for food and drinks at the game.
That's because Mercedes-Benz Stadium announced something they call "Fan First" pricing when they opened the state-of-the-art venue back in 2017. Sports fans and concert lovers will be the first to tell you that they love going to events, but they hate the "Stadium Tax" that usually hits you once you scan your ticket to get in. It's rather normal for stadiums and arenas to up-charge on concessions... because what else are people going to do if they want to drink or eat?
However, the Atlanta, Georgia stadium (home of the Atlanta Falcons) decided to change things up. That's why they set their prices incredibly low when compared to other venues, prioritizing the fan experience and knowing that people would be more likely to come back - and bring more friends and family - when they realize they can actually afford to eat the food and drink the alcohol that's for sale inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
And tonight, the College Football Playoff Championship which will see Ohio State take on Notre Dame is being held within that very stadium that is built to hold over 70,000+ crazed fans. Could they use that as an excuse to up the prices? You bet they could, and to be honest, I wouldn't blame them. But did they decide to stick to their Fan First pricing? They sure did, as they announced earlier while showing off the menu board for the big game:
"At the menu boards for the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. No matter how big the event, we will have the same Fan First concession prices available!"
https://twitter.com/MBStadium/status/1879593247833780315
That's what I'm talking about right there.
For anyone that's struggling to see the pricing of menu boards, allow me to point out the most important part of the entire menu: the beer. For fans attending the game and looking to wet their whistle, they'll be looking at these dirt cheap beer prices:
-Large Premium Beer: $10.50
-Regular Premium Beer: $6.00
-Large Domestic Beer: $8.50
-Regular Domestic Beer: $5.00
Five bucks for a beer? Ohio State and Notre Dame fans alike are going to be needing some Liquid I.V. to recover from tonight's festivities. One before you start drinking, one before bed, and one in the morning will have you feeling significantly better and ready for round two (though maybe not on a Tuesday..)
And alcohol isn't the only thing that's affordable. For those looking to eat or just have a snack, they could could get a whole pizza for $18, a crispy chicken tender basket (with fries) for $6, a hot dog for $2, and/or $3.50 for candy. I'd be one of the fans that would LOAD UP on all of the concessions with those kinds of prices.
Below the post, a social media user directly asked Mercedes-Benz Stadium if they would ever raise their prices - like when they host a World Cup match. The account kindly responded with this message:
"This is a hallmark of our organization. These are the prices for every event we host, no matter how big the event is."
Looks like I need to plan a trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium sometime soon...
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