Who needs money when you can have football tickets?
The answer is, well, a lot of people need money more than they need football tickets. But that doesn't make the latest promotion from The N.C. Education Lottery a total bust. The group announced Tuesday that its latest $5 scratch-off game will offer a grand prize of Carolina Panthers season tickets for 20 years.
Just think: You can be in the stands during Cam Newton's gorgeous prime years, followed by the period where he's still good but not quite the same guy anymore, followed by that window where he's become a sneaky liability, and finally the bitter end when his body breaks down and he gets benched in favor of a Tyler Palko-type. Can't put a price tag on that.
One of the secondary prizes connected to the scratch-off game is a $200,000 cash payout. Which, again, gimme that. I can use that money to buy Panthers tickets for 20 years and help defray the cost of my son's college education.