Mat Ishbia Continues To Be On An All Time Heater As The Suns Owner After Announcing A $2 Value Menu For All Home Games

Barry Gossage. Getty Images.

Everything in the world is expensive right now. It doesn't matter what it is, the price of shit keeps going up. I won't sit here and even attempt to be smart and explain to you why that's happening or who is responsible for it, all I know is the second you leave the house you're getting bent over the moment you need to purchase literally anything.

One area where you've really seen this impact is sporting events. Gone are the days when these events were even remotely affordable, especially if you have a family. Between ticket prices, parking, and concessions, it's a bloodbath for your wallet. You just go in accepting you're going to get destroyed and you hope the beers make you forget about it. In my research (I googled for 2 seconds), I saw some fancy study that said on average, a family would spend a total of $320.31 on the cheapest seats, a couple beers, two sodas, and four hot dogs plus parking. That's certainly not nothing.

As a result, we're starting to see certain markets push back. Back in September, the Jazz announced they were going to have lower prices, where basically everything was going to be $3.

Well, Mat Ishbia of the Suns said that's great, but hold my $2 soda!

Look, I'm not in the business of sucking the dick of billionaire NBA owners, but you have to continue to give Mat Ishbia credit. Since he officially took over after buying the Suns, he's had pretty much as ideal a run as a new owner could possibly have. 

For starters, from Day 1 he said fuck it and unloaded all his assets to build a modern-day superteam. The KD trade has been great since he's still as good as ever, and while the Bradley Beal trade hasn't exactly worked out, at least the owner went for it. As a fan, you can respect that. When healthy, the Suns are every bit a contender as anyone else in the West.

How about last year when he announced the team was giving away free TV antennas to fans after the team decided to leave cable TV?

Another move you have no choice but to respect. I'm sure there are some backdoor financial incentives for him to do something like this but whatever. Bringing the game to the people and your fanbase is what it's all about. 

When it comes to being all in for his team and trying to win by any means necessary, Ishbia was also willing to do his part during the 2023 playoffs

Sure it didn't exactly work as the Suns were wrapped up in 6 games by the soon to be champion Nuggets, but at least the effort was there. That's an owner who cares.

As if the fanbase needed any additional reasons to love this guy, he also greenlight the induction of two of the franchise's legends into their Ring Of Honor which was long overdue in my opinion

The point is, Mat Ishbia has been on a generational heater pressing all the right buttons since he became the owner, and this concessions menu is the icing on the cake. You have to remember, the Suns currently have the largest tax bill in the NBA right now at $188,488,239. They're also on the hook to have the second most expensive roster next season, at $224,569,321, and as a repeat offender that means their tax bill will be even crazier next season. Not exactly a time you would think an owner would be slashing prices on something that I imagine helps him deal with that tax bill, but when you're worth around $10B I guess who gives a shit. My guess is he doesn't even feel that tax bill, so why not play the long game, win over your fanbase, get attendance up, and build that trust in the community? 

You also have to remember the era that preceded Ishbia. Robert Sarver would NEVER do any of the things in this blog. In fact, his track record proved he'd actually do the exact opposite. Remember this legend?

So shoutout to Mat Ishbia. It's already expensive as shit to even go to a Suns game (average ticket is $343), so at least you're not also getting bent over if all you want is a few beers and a hotdog. It's a small win, but a win nonetheless at a time where everything else in the world continues to get more and more expensive.