The LA28 Hunger Games: What the Olympics, FIFA, and the Experience Economy Are Teaching Small Businesses

So… like most Angelenos, I was ridiculously excited when Los Angeles landed the 2028 Olympics.

I already had my fantasy Olympic experience mapped out: swimming, overpriced snacks, emotionally questionable parking decisions, and the full "I survived LA traffic for this?" experience.

Then Olympic ticket registration opened.

And suddenly, attending the Games started feeling less like an international sporting event... and more like surviving a dystopian reality show.

First came the registration. Then the lottery. Then the verification emails. Then the waiting room. Then the queue. Then the "exclusive opportunity" to maybe purchase tickets someday.

Apparently, "Congratulations! You've been selected!" is now Olympic language for:

May the odds be ever in your favor.

And honestly?

Somewhere between:

"Tickets starting at $28"

and

"Would you like to refinance your home for Opening Ceremony seats?"

...the LA28 Hunger Games officially began.

But here's the fascinating part:

Despite inflation, economic uncertainty, rising gas prices, expensive travel, and collective consumer exhaustion... people STILL want in.

Which raises a bigger question:

What exactly are consumers paying for anymore?

Because it's clearly not just the seat.

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Welcome to the Experience Economy Arena

Consumers today are stressed.

Everything feels expensive:

groceries, insurance, housing, gas, travel, and parking in Los Angeles (which should probably qualify as an Olympic sport itself).

And yet...

People are still dropping serious money on:

• Taylor Swift concerts

• luxury travel

• sporting events

• premium coffee

• and apparently Olympic tickets priced like beachfront real estate

Why?

Because modern consumers no longer buy products.

They buy emotion and social currency.

And LA28 understands this brilliantly.

They aren't selling seats.

They're selling:

"Once in a lifetime."

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FIFA Was the Dress Rehearsal

We've already seen where this can go wrong.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup was supposed to be an economic jackpot for host cities and local businesses.

Instead, cracks started showing early:

Dynamic pricing backlash, transportation concerns, affordability issues, economic uncertainty, and hotel chaos.

At one point, tens of thousands of hotel rooms were reportedly reserved and later released back into the market, leaving hospitality providers scrambling and cities recalculating projected tourism gains.

Meanwhile, fans began realizing that attending global mega-events now requires military-level planning, airline miles, emotional resilience, and possibly a financial advisor.

If FIFA was the rehearsal, LA28 may become the full-scale production version of The Hunger Games.

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The Real Risk Isn't Price — It's Exhaustion

This is where the business lessons get interesting.

Consumers don't necessarily walk away because something is expensive.

They walk away because the process becomes emotionally exhausting.

Many businesses accidentally create the same problem.

Think about how many customer experiences now feel unnecessarily difficult:

• hard-to-navigate websites

• hidden pricing

• endless forms

• automated phone mazes

• unclear next steps

• "exclusive access" systems that feel more manipulative than exciting

Consumers are tired.

Not broke.

Tired.

And the businesses winning right now are the ones reducing emotional friction.

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What Small Businesses Can Learn from the LA28 Hunger Games

1. Scarcity Works — Until It Feels Manipulative

Exclusivity can absolutely increase demand.

But there's a fine line between:

"special access."

and

"Why does buying this feel like a hostage negotiation?"

Customers enjoy anticipation.

They do NOT enjoy confusion.

2. Friction Quietly Kills Revenue

Every extra step matters.

Registration.

Verification.

Password resets.

Hidden pricing.

At some point, excitement turns into fatigue.

If customers need a treasure map and an emotional support animal to figure out how to buy from you, it's time to simplify the process.

3. Premium Pricing Only Works with a Premium Experience

Customers will absolutely pay more.

But if you charge luxury pricing while delivering a DMV-level customer experience, people remember.

Value is emotional.

And that emotional calculation now matters as much as the product itself.

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The New Luxury Is Simplicity

Ironically, the biggest lesson from LA28 may have nothing to do with sports.

It may be this:

In a world filled with stress, noise, inflation, and constant complexity, simplicity has become a luxury product.

The businesses winning today are the ones making experiences feel:

• easier

• clearer

• smoother

• more human

• and emotionally worth the effort

  
  

Because consumers will still spend money during uncertain times.

But they've become far more selective about experiences that feel worth the emotional energy.

Bottom line:

This may be the real gold-medal lesson behind the LA28 Hunger Games.

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Feeling Like Your Customer Experience Has Become Its Own Hunger Games?

At Biz Made EZ, we help small businesses, manufacturers, and growth-stage companies simplify messaging, improve customer experience, strengthen positioning, and create marketing systems that make it easier for customers to say "yes."

Because in today's economy, the businesses winning aren't always the cheapest.

They're the ones making the buying experience feel clear, valuable, and emotionally worth it.

Ready to simplify your customer experience and strengthen your growth strategy?

Schedule a discovery conversation to see how we can help make growth feel a little less like the Hunger Games.