How Much Is Too Much?

How much am I willing to pay to attend next year's MLB All-Star Game?  That's the question I have already begun asking myself, almost a year in advance of the first pitch.  Detroit's first All-Star Game in over thirty years is bound to be a popular event.  The cost of tickets is going to be, well, it's going to be quite a bit. 

However, for a number of reasons, I have always wanted to go to an All-Star Game.  It's not only a premier event on the baseball schedule, but it has almost always occured around my birthday.  It even arrives on my birthday on occasion.  Growing up a baseball fan, it made my birthday week kind of a baseball holiday.

Besides, it's one of those things a baseball fan wants to cross off his/her "Things To Do" checklist.  Hall of Fame?  Check.  Wrigley Field?  Check.  Fenway Park?  Check.  Playoff Game?  Check.  The All-Star Game remains unmarked on my list.

The question is when does desire become stupidity?  Is it worth $500 to sit in Comerica Park's outer reaches to "watch" an All-Star Game?  Those normally $8-$20 upper deck seats can be far, far away.   Is it worth $300?  $200?  Right now, I'm not even going to think about the cost of a lower deck box seat.  I'll start to get depressed. 

I doubt the Tigers are going to offer individual tickets for sale.  They might, as they did this year, offer the opportunity to purchase some if you buy a season ticket package.  However, in spite of getting the All-Star ticket at face value, is the cost of a season ticket package (tickets, parking, food, etc...) going to be as much or more than paying the ticket broker for the single event?

My only hope is that attendance will be somewhat down as Detroit is not a popular tourist destination.  (Sorry, Mayor Kilpatrick.)  Maybe that will lower the price a bit over previous All-Star Game, but I'm betting the game is going to be wildly popular with the locals.  Tigers' fans have waited for over three decades for this game to return, I suspect we are all eager to attend.

Even if prices fall some due to the city's reputation nationwide, or a lack of interest locally, I have to figure out how much am I willing to fork over?  How do I decide how much is too much?  I've got about 359 days left to figure that out.