A Dodger Dog at the stadium runs $7.99. Less than a mile away, a nearly identical hot dog costs $2.29, a 249% markup. By the end of the game, you may have spent more on food and drinks than on your own ticket. How did a day at the ballpark get so expensive?

In NGPF's latest So Expensive activity, Why Stadium Food Is So Expensive, students explore how a single company can end up setting the price at all 39 food stands in one stadium. The video traces the shift from independent peanut and hot dog vendors who set their own prices to the building boom that had teams helping fund their own stadiums and keeping the concession revenue. It also explores the bills now sitting in front of lawmakers aimed to tackle prices. 

Students will:

• watch a video from Business Insider's So Expensive series
• identify the specific factors of production that impact a product or service's price
• answer a few thought-provoking questions

Note:

• Beer and alcohol pricing is a running example throughout the episode. Specifically, the stretch from 6:06–8:04.

Learn More:

• How to implement the So Expensive activities with your students
• Looking for more ways to introduce economics into your personal finance classroom? Check out NGPF's Econ Collection!

About the Author

Yonathan Tadesse

Yonathan is a Dallas-based Curriculum Designer at NGPF with 12 years of experience as a high school math, college transition, and financial literacy teacher. An award-winning educator, he has a track record of launching innovative programs at the high school level that expand access and opportunity for students. He is a graduate of Emory University and is passionate about advancing financial education for all students. Outside of work, Yonathan loves spending time with his wife and two kids, working out, playing chess and poker, and learning new things.

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