With fall sports coming to an end and winter sports starting soon, more and more people are attending sporting events. With this comes a question: why have the ticket prices increases?

A lot of work and dedication is required to make sporting events enjoyable for everyone. These events are made memorable by a great deal of people; even though we may not be able to see it, there’s always a lot more to these events than what shows up on the field. Take homecoming as an example: there were people operating the food trucks and concessions stands, photographers, staff checking tickets, and so much more. Sports are a good way to promote inclusion and bring people together because they offer an opportunity to connect with new people. With all this in mind, why did admission to sporting events increase by a dollar this year? Yes—one dollar.

Activities Director Ted Schultz says, “went up $1.” This means that other fees will also increase to help the district cut six million dollars from its budget. The district hopes to hold on to as many programs and resources as possible, so the
easiest way to make more money is to raise fees and ticket prices. Last year, the football tickets were $5 per student, but this year, they are $6 per student. A one dollar increase. That may not seem like a huge change, but it can bring in thousands of dollars from sporting events throughout the year.

While it may not cover the entire $6 million gap, it’s a partial solution to reduce the size of the shortfall. McKenna Lee, ‘29, thinks
students will be the most affected, “all fees were raised to help the district offset the projected 6 million dollars in cuts.” She explains that “generally [the] fees went up 10% and ticket prices by this price increase “because they are the majority of the people who go to the games.” She suggests that “the attendance might be impacted” if the price becomes a barrier, but the increase of prices has not
had much of an effect on students yet. A one dollar increase may not seem like a lot, but it can bring in thousands of dollars from events in the long term.