So what the heck is Amateur Night anyway?

swordtart · 06-22-2012, 11:50 AM

It is difficult to square the dichotomy of the majority of people being in the slums (to provide ready competitors for the death sports) with the idea that you could bring in vast amounts of money from arena attendance or advertising at the same.

Every character is assumed to have medical insurance, that shows a reasonable level of welfare. Algae based food is cheap and plentiful. You can cover all your living expenses for $150 per week. You have to earn less than $4 per hour (assuming a 40 hour week) to have an acceptable standard of living (i.e. there are no adverse impediment to health or safety). It's probably a cube apartment rather than a house and your food probably isn't that exciting. If you had a hard life and a 60 hour a week job you could be paid under $3 an hour.

In my model amateur events happen in small towns (think the first gladiator arena in the film Gladiator). Run down and poorly equipped it caters to it's dirt poor punters. They have a crap life so they come to watch other people having a worse one (and the occasional aspirant who makes it big and gets out). Life expectancy for competitors is short. "Six men enter one man leaves" is an appropriate mentality. Occasional spectator injury and dead is not uncommon. The fees and associated costs in becoming AADA sanctioned are prohibitive.

Every night there is a floor show with tawdry washed out dancers (who can probably be hired by the hour after the show). They are still ten times more glamorous than the local girls and you don't have to marry them. There will be shows of trick shooting and stunt driving by touring "pro's" (these are likely to be fairly local talent). There may be animal acts, wrestlers, clowns etc. The death sport would be the culmination of the evenings activity (as there is only so many times you will pay to watch a man put his head in a sleepy lions mouth).

Your small arena will have seats for a few thousand max (people need to be close). You won't be able to charge more than $5 per seat. Even six days a week with every seat filled only gives a turn over of 60K. Many nights they'll be lucky to fill half the seats and $40K is more realistic. From that you have to take staff fees. To entertain 2000 people you are going to need 50 or so (mostly security). At $150 per head (we asume you are paying them base living expenses) thats $7500. Your acts may take more than that (and your pro's are going to take far more) $10,000 per week is probably reasonable. You have your building maintenance and services we'll assume they are covered by the profits from your concession stands. That leaves you with 30K per week. Six $5000 cars blows that entirely. We haven't even considered rents or mortgage payments or any profit you were hoping to make through this venture.

The likely revenue from advertising is limited to what people buy from the concession stalls. Most of the advertising is going to be on your Pro's and going into their pockets not yours. If you are lucky you may have a deal with the local garage to skim a bit on repairs and salvage, but it's hardly the big time. If you are sensible you will have a local cable TV franchise and they will pay a retainer to be allowed to film footage. They may be able to sell it up the chain to a sports cast channel, but it is liable to be on the tail end of a report in the "And in Wachula a new sensation may be heading for the big time" variety. TV viewers want to see the famous drivers, not some hick from Stinking Butte. Any money they make from it will be again going to them not you. Local businesses may pay a few hundred dollars a month to have a hoarding to attract locals that see them incidentally on local TV or in person.

06-22-2012, 11:50 AM	#1
swordtart Join Date: Jun 2008	So what the heck is Amateur Night anyway? It is difficult to square the dichotomy of the majority of people being in the slums (to provide ready competitors for the death sports) with the idea that you could bring in vast amounts of money from arena attendance or advertising at the same. Every character is assumed to have medical insurance, that shows a reasonable level of welfare. Algae based food is cheap and plentiful. You can cover all your living expenses for $150 per week. You have to earn less than $4 per hour (assuming a 40 hour week) to have an acceptable standard of living (i.e. there are no adverse impediment to health or safety). It's probably a cube apartment rather than a house and your food probably isn't that exciting. If you had a hard life and a 60 hour a week job you could be paid under $3 an hour. In my model amateur events happen in small towns (think the first gladiator arena in the film Gladiator). Run down and poorly equipped it caters to it's dirt poor punters. They have a crap life so they come to watch other people having a worse one (and the occasional aspirant who makes it big and gets out). Life expectancy for competitors is short. "Six men enter one man leaves" is an appropriate mentality. Occasional spectator injury and dead is not uncommon. The fees and associated costs in becoming AADA sanctioned are prohibitive. Every night there is a floor show with tawdry washed out dancers (who can probably be hired by the hour after the show). They are still ten times more glamorous than the local girls and you don't have to marry them. There will be shows of trick shooting and stunt driving by touring "pro's" (these are likely to be fairly local talent). There may be animal acts, wrestlers, clowns etc. The death sport would be the culmination of the evenings activity (as there is only so many times you will pay to watch a man put his head in a sleepy lions mouth). Your small arena will have seats for a few thousand max (people need to be close). You won't be able to charge more than $5 per seat. Even six days a week with every seat filled only gives a turn over of 60K. Many nights they'll be lucky to fill half the seats and $40K is more realistic. From that you have to take staff fees. To entertain 2000 people you are going to need 50 or so (mostly security). At $150 per head (we asume you are paying them base living expenses) thats $7500. Your acts may take more than that (and your pro's are going to take far more) $10,000 per week is probably reasonable. You have your building maintenance and services we'll assume they are covered by the profits from your concession stands. That leaves you with 30K per week. Six $5000 cars blows that entirely. We haven't even considered rents or mortgage payments or any profit you were hoping to make through this venture. The likely revenue from advertising is limited to what people buy from the concession stalls. Most of the advertising is going to be on your Pro's and going into their pockets not yours. If you are lucky you may have a deal with the local garage to skim a bit on repairs and salvage, but it's hardly the big time. If you are sensible you will have a local cable TV franchise and they will pay a retainer to be allowed to film footage. They may be able to sell it up the chain to a sports cast channel, but it is liable to be on the tail end of a report in the "And in Wachula a new sensation may be heading for the big time" variety. TV viewers want to see the famous drivers, not some hick from Stinking Butte. Any money they make from it will be again going to them not you. Local businesses may pay a few hundred dollars a month to have a hoarding to attract locals that see them incidentally on local TV or in person.