By Thomas Chung

Copy Editor

  Gabrielino High School has implemented an ASB card purchase option that grants students access to sports games free of continual charge, but adamant adult supporters of student athletes do not have the same option for a valid reason. While wanting to alleviate the monetary burden off of spectators is a noble prospect, high schools should always charge entrance fees for sports games in order to generate funds necessary for supporting athletic programs.

 Entrance fees are a proven revenue source for high school athletic departments that have to raise money beyond the amount provided to them by their school districts in order to have their programs run smoothly. Dave Spurlock, athletic director of Charleston County schools in South Carolina, said that the county school district only provides a small fraction of the $1.1 million necessary to fund all the sports under his supervision.

“Schools are out there fundraising or taking in gate money […] to the tune of $800,000. They do what they have to do,” stated Spurlock. “A lot of people have an opinion about us charging, but nobody is going to stay away from watching their child compete. [The parents] need to realize that’s literally the only way we can keep these programs afloat.”

  School districts across the nation are in similar situations to Charleston County, where they simply do not have enough money to entirely fund the budget of its athletic departments. To sufficiently keep athletic programs running, people need to invest money by paying to attend sports games.

   In northeast Mississippi, a region where high school football draws thousands of paying fans every game night, Pontotoc High School’s athletic department has reaped benefits from charging gate fees. They make $7,800 to $9,000 on Friday nights from football game entrance fees, bolstering a six-figure operating budget that supports 15 varsity sports.

   Establishing a thousand-dollar-generating football culture similar to Pontotoc may be impractical for some, but schools should continually make the decision to charge gate fees and should even look into increasing those fees. If parents and adults want to support their athletes, all the while providing the players with the equipment, transportation, and coaching that they need, the best thing that spectators can do is pay the price.

   “I believe that charging admission is a necessary evil. In a perfect world, we would fund our schools sufficiently so that all sports […] would be free to all participants and spectators,” wrote John Jackson, sports editor for the Argus-Courier. “But we don’t live in a perfect world. We live in a world of politicians and lobbyists, so parents and school supporters have to dig deep.”

   Spectators need to understand that supporting athletes, and the athletic programs that enrich them, requires paying to watch sports games. High schools should do everything in their power to create the best sports teams they can, and imposing and enforcing entrance fees is a critical first step in ensuring such.