By Alex Kotler

This is the story of what I did with $1,185 that I didn’t have.

We begin at the end, where I obligate myself to pay said amount to another party in return for what I will share in the paragraphs below.

First, to put the amount in perspective. It’s more than I pay per month in rent for an apartment in a neighborhood that I’d rather not call home. It’s more than I would need to furnish the common area in that apartment with a dining room table, a kitchen countertop, storage and appliances and a coffee table to mate with my sofa – the one piece of furniture in the common area. And, it’s close to what I would have to pay a broker to find another empty living space – elsewhere – so that I could hightail it out of my current digs.

It’s also about the same amount of money as a:

Kashmar Persian carpet, or a
Glenna Jean nursery room set, or a
Circle Y Western Show horse saddle, or a
Meade LXD75 SN-8AT Schmidt-Newtonian Telescope, or a
40-ton Nugier hydraulic press on eBay.

And, less ridiculously (or, more practically):

One year’s worth of unlimited NYC Metrocards, or
Two tailored suits with matching ensemble, or
Four months of groceries at Trader Joes, or
Dinner for two at Daniel where I let my date choose the wine without conscience, or
Regular haircuts at salons, so that I look more like Brad Pitt in Ocean’s Eleven than in 12 Monkeys, and you get the point.

So what did I buy?

Two season tickets in Section 125 at Red Bull Arena (as if the images didn’t already give it away).

Why, especially after a dreadful season, when I can get press seats or call in favors to see the matches for free?

Two reasons: (1) It’s good business and (2) it’s good for business.

(1) With these seats I can invite guests or gift the tickets to my clients who are non-ticket holders or who are in from out of town.

Together (or separately) we may evaluate how the franchise and the league overall are learning from the outside, implementing from previous practices and developing methods as applicable to the local market in new environs.

As observers, we may evaluate the atmosphere and the matchday experience. We may see how traffic is handled. We may determine whether the marketing of merchandise is done effectively. We may gain insight into how the organization’s partners are extracting value from commercial relationships and over time assess whether such opportunities are viable. And, along with a host of other things, we may scout players and draw conclusions (or suppositions) as to how the talent is being recruited and managed by the on-field performance.

Hence, it’s good business because it represents an investment in myself and in my company and also provides a tangible means for demonstrating, what I consider to be, good business etiquette.

(2) Purchasing season tickets – and prime seats at that – is good for business because it represents a direct investment in Major League Soccer. My contribution, no matter that it equates to roughly a game’s worth of wages for a single player on the squad, gives me the satisfaction in knowing that I am doing my (little) part to build and shape the infrastructure of North American soccer.

More, having these tickets strengthens my relationships with the New York Red Bulls organization and with my clients, each being more inclined to work with me if I continue to support the former and provide the latter with a Major League Soccer experience. Also, by virtue of investing in premium seats, I am subtedly linking my brand with the prestige and value attributed to the ticket prices.

So that it’s known, I don’t get paid by the New York Red Bulls – or anyone else for that matter – to encourage the purchase of Major League Soccer, or any other domestic or foreign league, tickets. It is simply my opinion that having season tickets is an investment that will pay a return far in excess of the principal $1,185.

The only downside that I see is that I will have to wait until next year to buy that 40-ton Nugier hydraulic press.