Tuesday Afternoon Open Thread: Should NFL Teams Charge For Fan Events?

The Cardinals hold a FanFest every year so that the fans can get a preseason introduction to what the team will look like the next year. FanFest, as is the norm, is held at University of Phoenix stadium and is free of charge to everyone that attends. It's always a great time not only for the people that go, but for the players as well. It's the type of interaction between fan and player that people have been looking for.

But according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, that dream is being squashed by some teams. The Cincinnati Bengals, for instance, are charging their fans $10 a piece to come to a preseason "pep rally" at Paul Brown Stadium. They have defended their move by citing that through all of their expenses, the team will be spending over $100,000 on the event. The thing is, the only people that are invited are season ticket holders.

So my question to you today is whether or not NFL teams should charge for these types of events. In the Bengals' case, it seems somewhat ridiculous to charge considering all of the people attending are ticket holders and have already paid their dues. But should teams like the Cardinals start charging fans to help cover costs for these events?

Obviously, none of us want to start paying to attend these gatherings, but let's try and be as objective as possible. Do you think it's right for them to do that? Tell us in the comments section.