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Rob Neyer is a baseball writer for sbnation.com. He has described attending a Red Sox game at Fenway Park in Boston and having a seat in the sun on a hot, humid day: "Granted, I could have moved under the overhang and enjoyed today’s contest from a nice, cool, shady seat. But when you paid $45 for a ticket in the fourth row, it’s tough to move back to the twenty-fourth [row]." Evaluate Neyer’s reasoning. Did he make an economically rational decision? Why or why not?

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Final answer:

Rob Neyer's non-movement at Fenway Park reflects a subjective assessment of the value of his seat compared to the discomfort of the heat. Economic reasoning considering sunk costs suggests his decision may not be economically rational if discomfort overwhelms the value of the seat. However, individuals often factor in sunk costs, like the $45 spent, when making decisions.

Step-by-step explanation:

Rob Neyer's decision not to move from his fourth-row seat to a cooler spot in the twenty-fourth row at Fenway Park can be analyzed from the perspective of economic rationality. Economic rationality is about making choices that maximize an individual's utility based on their preferences, within the constraints of their resources. While it might seem irrational to stay in a less comfortable spot, for Neyer, the perceived value of his expensive, close-to-the-action seat may have outweighed the discomfort of the sun. The concept of sunk costs could also be relevant in this scenario, as the $45 spent on the ticket is a cost that cannot be recovered, potentially influencing his decision to stay put.

From an economic standpoint, if the enjoyment and experience of the fourth row is significantly higher than that in the back, his decision makes sense. Nevertheless, if discomfort diminishes the experience, then moving to the shade would be more economically rational, regardless of the initial cost of the ticket. It is important to note that while economist would argue for ignoring sunk costs, human tendency often factors them in during decision making.

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