400 Level Farewell

This post is short and stupidly (and I really mean STUPIDLY!) sentimental.

In the fall of 2000 I decided (along with a coworker) to buy Washington Wizards season tickets. The tickets cost $10 per game or $410 for the whole season (I can't remember if our package included preseason games or if we just bought right before the season but the $410 number sticks in my head). We got some tickets in Section 402, Row G near the end of the row away from center court. One year later, Michael Jordan returned to the court to play for the Wizards. Cool.

A few years after the Jordan era (and with per game prices now boosted to a whole $15), I moved my season ticket seats in 402 right to the other end of the same row, closer to center court. I had also by this time switched (or upgraded if you prefer) the co-worker I was sharing games with. I used to love mid-week games against non-popular opponents up in Section 402. There were some games where there was literally nobody higher up in the section that us so we could stand if we wanted or walk around during a tense part of a game during timeout. We also had some great memories taunting opposing fans when they came in to the building to see their team beat the Wiz only to be disappointed. It was most fun against Celtics fans and our seats were perfectly positioned to wave and say goodbye to the other team's "faithful" on their way out of the building before the end of the game.

Then one year I bought a 10 game package down in Section 103 right near the tunnel where the Wizards enter and exit the court. That 10 game package grew to a 21 game package then to a full season along with a move across the arena to Section 109 where I have seats today. While I was doing that, I kept my upper deck seats, although we moved across the building upstairs too to Section 415 right on the end in Row C. I think I can get to the bathroom at Capital One Arena faster than anyone else from those seats. It's the secret charm of those seats.

Over time, the $10 per game seats in the 400 level have increased up to $40 per game, which is a complete swindle. No way should those seats cost that much. So next season for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, I will not hold Wizards season tickets in the 400 level at 601 F Street NW. And I likely never will ever again. I'm not going backwards from my lower level seats.

Last night I sat in Seat 13 in Row C of Section 415 for the last time as a season ticket holder. It's been a good ride upstairs, although let's face it the team accomplished pretty much nothing. Somehow it's just not as fun when the cost is 3-4 times as much as it should be. I'm not saying I'll never sit in the upper deck at Capital One Arena ever again for a Wizards game, but I won't do it as a season ticket holder. It's time for someone else to take over that real estate.