Barb: We must all agree there are stories on the news daily that are upsetting. My beef I would like to sound off about is regarding professional sports teams.

Although I have never been a big sports fan, many years ago I was a big fan of the Detroit Red Wings. I watched their games on TV regularly. I shouted and cheered as they won the Stanley Cup. I felt the pain and sorrow of the Stanley Cup victory accident that left Vladimir Konstantinov seriously injured with a debilitating closed head injury that left him crippled for life.

But you may have noticed I never mention attending a live game. Why is that? The ticket prices.

It is not just Red Wings. I never went to a Detroit Tigers or Lions game, either. Again it was the ticket prices. It was probably close to 40 years ago a local station had a piece that gave the breakdown for the cost of a family of four to attend a Tigers game. To pay for average priced seats, parking, a soda, and hot dog, the price was over $125!

We like to support our sports teams but what once was a family event is now out of reach. Why is that? The excessive salaries the players receive.

I’ve held my tongue for several weeks but my blood pressure is raising over this issue. Once again on the news was a segment about a player for the Chicago Bears who was given a $10 million contract. A few weeks ago another sports player was awarded a three-year contract for $88 million! How many more are making these outrageous salaries? Is any sports player worth making even just $1 million dollars a year? I don’t think so.

How many years would you have to work to earn just $1 million? Ten years if you even make $100,000 per year and many more years for the average person in this area.

And who pays these outrageous salaries? You, the fan, who supports them by going to the games, if you can afford it.

It used to be that going to a game was a family outing even poorer folks could afford. Now even an average family is too strapped to afford an outing to attend a game. Poor folks can’t even think of being able to go to a game. I think it is time we, the public (fans) boycott sporting events by not attending to protest these outrageous multi-million dollar contracts for the players.