Price tags · Puzzle #34 · Monday, November 2

Price tags: the answers

Four questions, each with one true number. Here they are with their answers, how to reason each one out, and where the number comes from. Play today's Price tags.

1. 1. Kids' sports in America: How much do US parents spend in total on their children's sports in a year, according to the Aspen Institute?

   Typical family, all of one child's teams

   nearly $1,500 a year

   The answer: more than $40 billion. Basketball parents' spending more than doubled from 2019 to 2024.

   1. 70Mkids under 18 in the US
   2. ÷2kids for every one who plays a sport
   3. ×$1,500a year for each child who plays

   ≈$52.5B

   The answer comes to more than $40 billion (Aspen Institute Project Play, as of 2024). On a napkin, take 70 million kids under 18 in the US, divided by 2 kids for every one who plays a sport, times $1,500 a year for each child who plays, and you get about $53 billion. That comes out 1.3 times too high, and a guess that far off still scores 8.8 out of 10. The target is wider than it looks: every guess between $20 billion and $80 billion scores at least 7.0.

   Source: Aspen Institute Project Play, Project Play survey: Family spending on youth sports rises 46% over five years

2. 2. A day at Southwest: How much did Southwest Airlines take in on an average day in 2025?

   Passengers

   About 134 million in 2025

   The answer: about $77 million. Southwest's $28.1 billion in operating revenues in 2025 was a record for the airline.

   1. 134Mpassengers in 2025
   2. ÷365days a year
   3. ×$200a ticket

   ≈$73.4M

   The true figure is about $77 million (Southwest Airlines Co.). To reason it out, take 134 million passengers in 2025, divided by 365 days a year, times $200 a ticket, and you get about $73 million. That is almost exactly the real number, and a guess like it scores 9.8 out of 10. Because only the ratio counts, anything between $39 million and $150 million was worth 7.0 or more.

   Source: Southwest Airlines Co. (investor relations), Southwest Airlines Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results

3. 3. Chicken dinner every week: At the US average price of boneless chicken breast in August 2026, what would a family of four spend on it in a year of one chicken dinner a week, half a pound each?

   The answer: about $434. Boneless chicken breast held near $4.17 a pound through 2026.

   1. 4people in the family
   2. ×0.5pounds each
   3. ×52weeks a year
   4. ×$3.5a pound

   ≈$364

   The true figure is about $434 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics). On a napkin, take 4 people in the family, times 0.5 pounds each, times 52 weeks a year, times $3.5 a pound, and you get about $360. The estimate is 1.2 times too low, close enough to score 9.2 out of 10. Any guess from $220 to $870 scores 7.0 or better, because the game only counts how many times off you are.

   Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Chicken breast, boneless, per lb. (453.6 gm) in U.S. city average, average price, not seasonally adjusted

4. 4. A day at one Olive Garden: How much did one company-run Olive Garden take in on an average day in Darden's 2026 fiscal year?

   

   Counts

   Company-run restaurants, dine-in and to-go

   Fiscal year

   Ended May 31, 2026

   The answer: about $16,000. An average Olive Garden sold $5.8 million in fiscal 2026, up from $5.6 million the year before.

   1. 600guests a day
   2. ×$25a meal each

   ≈$15k

   The answer comes to about $16,000 (Darden Restaurants). On a napkin, take 600 guests a day, times $25 a meal each, and you get about $15,000. It's 1.1 times too low, which as a guess would still have scored 9.7 out of 10. The target is wider than it looks: every guess between $8,000 and $32,000 scores at least 7.0.

   Source: Darden Restaurants (SEC Form 10-K), Darden Restaurants Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2026

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