NBA Finals ticket prices are off the charts

Happiness expert talks about the choice between a memory and material things

As they watch their teams' first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, New York Knicks fans are elated but wrestling with an emotional and financial decision. With ticket prices for home games against the San Antonio Spurs surging to record levels, some are considering cashing out and weighing which is more valuable: A major life memory or big money to spend on something else?

Amit Kumar, an assistant professor of marketing and psychological & brain sciences at the University of Delaware, says that it may come down to a choice between material possessions that people often buy because they think those things are going to make them happy and a satisfying experiential purchase that tends to "last" in a psychological sense. 

In this case, the decision comes down to a large lump of money to spend on, say, a kitchen remodeling project or a new watch, versus the memory of witnessing a Knicks finals game for the ages – and perhaps even their first championship in 53 years.

"If a consumer is deciding between buying antique living room furniture to replace the set they already have in their house or instead spending that money on the experience of seeing the Knicks play the Spurs, they are likely to derive more enduring satisfaction from the memories of being at the game, the stories they tell about going and having been there, and the social interactions they have as a result," Kumar said.

He added that the lesson for people's everyday lives is really to shift their spending so they spend a bit less on material goods and a bit more on experiences.

University of Delaware for Newswise via The Gayly online. 6/6/26 @ 6:47 p.m. CST.