MasterCard Yankees Ad Makes Being a Free-Spending Sap Look Cool

In this economy, would you give away dozens of New York Yankees tickets worth around $125 each to fellow fans of your team, just so they could think you’re the man? That’s what a new MasterCard commercial seems to suggest is a cool idea.

The ad, called “New Friends/Yankee Fan,” shows a Yankee fan walking around looking for Yankee fans in the city to hand out the tickets to. These seats, which can only be purchased through MasterCard are in the Batter’s Eye section by center field, and the tickets in the 80-person section cost $125 each ($135 on game day.)

The guy handing out the tickets seems to have a very limited vocabulary, using the word “nice” repeatedly: “Nice swing!” “Nice ink!” and making a lot of grunting noises. And his generous act will cost him about $10,000 plus service charges on his credit card bill. But hey, all the strangers he gave tickets to did give him a nice cheer when he showed up at the game. Whoopee.

Mind you, these seats don’t offer free food, or a close-up view to home plate. They are in the outfield, near the two bleacher sections, where tickets are between $5 and $15 dollars. But unlike the bleachers, the seats do have backs. Hope that’s worth the extra money. Besides, anybody in the stadium can get the same “Batter’s Eye” view by walking behind those seats, and standing in front of the Bleacher Cafe.

When I see things like this commercial, or like Christian Lopez, a Yankee fan with six figures in student loans who gave back Derek Jeter’s 3000-hit ball without wanting anything in return, and was praised for his “selfless” (more like stupid) act, I’m appalled. Why is being a sap considered something to be praised and emulated? Why is making poor economic decisions considered cool?

The guy in the ad isn’t even giving these tickets out to friends, which would at least be a little more understandable. He’s handing them to strangers. Why?

Given the tough economic situation in this country, charging thousands of dollars in credit card debt to give tickets away is even more dopey than spending $50 grand at the champagne room in the strip club. This isn’t a “Random Act of Kindness,” where somebody pays the toll for the next customer so they could feel good for the day. This is random act of stupidity. What happens if this guy can’t pay the bill? Are those “friends” going to help a brother out?

Yes, it may be only a commercial, but it’s pushing a mindset that has helped put many in debt in this country. Hey, don’t worry about financial stability, or saving for tomorrow. Live a little and enjoy the day, even if it means you’ll put yourself in debt to Mastercard for years. Or, if you’re Christian Lopez, it makes you a wonderful person to give away a souvenir worth six figures to the guy who just built a house the size of a supermarket, even though you can’t even afford to move out from your parents’ home. Getting and staying in debt — priceless.

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