I'm Just a Girl (who likes cheap fun...)

Consider for a moment where your entertainment dollar goes. If you’re like me (meaning you wear your budget like a straightjacket), the fiscal bandwidth to indulge in frivolity is narrow at best. We’re the first show movie goers, the free day at the museum visitors, the folks who want the deep, deep discount. I’m not embarrassed about this, and in fact will probably never again pay full price for things like movies and so on. I don’t care if THE WAY IT’S DONE is to go to dinner and a movie; whoever came up with that little gem is probably hoping to gawd that you never realize that you’re taking a meal and watching a show at the most expensive time to do so. What’s the matter with omelets and a matinee? Just asking…

It’s always nice if the cash I do shell out accomplishes more than just alleviating my boredom. Any time I can support some worthy program with my goofing off, so much the better. It is with this in mind that I submit to you the notion of dumping attending pro sporting events in favor of your local youth/college/farm team games. Not only are they cheap (or in some cases free), these programs offer kids something better to do with their time than driving us all mental. If you are concerned with the level of entertainment or celebrity, consider that many sports stars have kids in area programs, so not only will you get to see the athletic pipeline of tomorrow getting filled, you’ll also have a possible meet and greet with the famous mom or dad.

Chicago Steel forward Alex Krushelnyski

So what’s good cheap exciting fun out this way in Chicago Land? High school sports come immediately to mind; not only was one of our local high school games featured on ESPN last week, the kids from Wheaton Warrenville South High School played the most complete football game I have ever seen outside of a Bill Belichick/ New England Patriots blowout. If you are a sports parent, you know what a thing of beauty this is to witness. Every kid did his job every second of the game, and I was truly surprised that the head coach wasn’t giggling with glee on the sidelines. Junior Hockey (USHL) is another outstanding bang for your buck. For a six dollar ticket, you can see the next generation of college and soon to be pro hockey players duke it out on the ice (sometimes quite literally). The Chicago Steel Hockey club sees players like Dean and Jake Chelios and Alex Krushelnyski  come through their ranks; with their NHL star dads up in the stands cheering them on. Baseball farm teams are another great option. Who knew when they were watching the Kane County Cougars (Oakland A’s affiliate) hurler Josh Beckett on the mound that they were seeing the development of one of baseball’s most currently celebrated pitchers in the making- for the bargain price of thirteen bucks! And the beer is good! And the hotdogs were reasonable! WOOT!

I challenge you to hunt up some of the lesser attended, definitely less expensive, but certainly no less exciting lower tier sports in your area. You may even know some of the kids playing. At the very least, you put dollars and support into local programs that add value to your area. At the most, you could become a die-hard nut job fan of a team you can really afford to support. You may even discover a new sport to fall in love with. Don’t even get me started on what happened to my world the day I saw my very first college lacrosse game… GOOOOOO SYRACUSE!!!