Where I am, the people I know are spending a lot less on concessions & alcohol. Not because of the shorter game but because the beer prices have become astronomical and the food quality has become terrible.
So instead we pregame nearby, maybe have a beer, and then go out afterwards.
I went to a Metallica concert at a large basketball stadium this summer. The concession stands were charging $22 for a beer. I can get that same can of beer at my grocery store for $1.25.
That's one of the reasons inflation doesn't scare me as much as it does other people. When it gets out of hand I always find easy ways to adjust some unnecessary spending. I'm eating healthier since I decided to spend less money on food by cooking.
Groceries are also impacted by inflation - plenty of people scared by not being able to meet even basic alimentary needs due to increasing costs. Google a bit for “poverty meals”.
Sure, but it was low-hanging fruit for me to cook for $4/meal rather than eat out for $15/meal. Maybe I'd have been able to cook for $3/meal if I'd started a year earlier but I was still capturing a big relative efficiency.
So instead we pregame nearby, maybe have a beer, and then go out afterwards.