These days some people spend a lot of money on tickets to go to sporting or events. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

Sports has gained popularity in many countries around the world, with people spend significant amount of money to get live experience of these events. I certainly feel this is a very positive development for both the audience as well as the athletes. Sports such as cricket and football are very popular among people and they often try to visit in the grounds to get live experience. Although the viewing angles are much better while watching the game in-house in television sets due to the sharp cameras covering the game, the atmosphere that is created in the ground because of the thousands of audiences is surreal. Moreover, many spectators even get a chance to meet their favourite athletes after the game. For instance, cricket playing team Mumbai Indians that participates in the Indian Premier League often sends some players from their dug-out to greet the viewers sitting in the near-by stand. Further, the presence of the supporters is also beneficial to athletes as they try to bring their best game to meet the high expectations of the crowd. In the football playing nation the United Kingdom, various football clubs play their opponents twice in the competition, one at their home ground and one at their opponent’s ground. The importance of presence of supporting fans can be evident from the fact that during these matches, clubs find it very easy to win the home fixtures as compared to the away fixtures. In conclusion, I believe that although prices of the tickets for these live sporting events may be higher as compared to other entertainment options, the experience of watching a sport in ground is not only beneficial for the viewers but also motivates the players to perform better.