Benefits of letting students in for free to sporting events

How frustrating is it to keep asking your parents for money in order to go to a football or basketball game? Or maybe you yourself don’t have four or six dollars to spare at the time. Allowing students to enter athletic events free of charge would help out many students and parents of the community. It could let more students come to games. It would relieve stress of parents to keep having to give their son or daughter money to get in. It would be pretty reasonable to think that if a student went to the school, they should be able to go see all the sporting events they want without having to worry about how much money they need. Yes, students do pay a lower price, but should they have to pay at all? I do not think so.

For many people, four or six dollars may seem not seem like a lot, but for students who work minimum wage jobs it really does add up. Students already don’t have enough money for leisure spending or non-necessities. Underclassmen, like eighth and ninth graders, who do not have a job, would be more likely to stop by a game if they didn’t have to worry about money to get in. At football games the two biggest attractions are the halftime show and the concession stands. It’s basically the American way to eat while watching sports. So, if students did not have to pay to get into the game, they will have more money to spend on their beloved food and the organizations that depend on raising funds from concession stand sales would benefit.

Like many school districts, Aurora Sports Boosters has an all sports boosters pass that allows families and students to pay an upfront price of $250 at the beginning of the school year and you do not have to pay to get into any sporting event. However in Aurora, when you use the pass only 2 people are able to use the pass at a time. So, for a family of 5 attending a basketball game only 2 of 5 would not have to pay while the other 3 would have to. The pass is very nice, but many families do not have $250 laying around because of having to pay for groceries, bills, and things that their kids need like clothes and school supplies. Also, going to sporting events as a family are ways he family gets to spend time together as a whole.

“If you do [eliminate student fees for entrance], money that is used to support athletic programs would be taken away, and it could cause ticket prices in general and also pay to participate costs to rise, since the money being brought it in would reduced. You would also take away the special causes and promotions that we run,” said AHS principal, Paul Milcetich.

On the other hand, there are some restrictions to letting in the students free to sporting events. Adult and student ticket prices are determined by a vote of the Suburban League, which is 15 schools, so Aurora has to follow league policy and cannot solely decide ticket prices or policy.

Although ticket prices may rise, I think letting students in free is great idea for the community as a whole. Having fellow athletes, students and adults come out and support really does make a difference to the team they are supporting. Research shows that attending high school sporting events teaches important life lessons, too. Among them, it teaches that we can come from different backgrounds, faiths and cultures, cheer for different teams, and still have a common bond. That’s why attending the activities hosted by your high school is so important. It’s not only an opportunity to cheer for your hometown team, it is also an opportunity to celebrate our commonality.

The bond we share is mutually supporting the teenagers in our respective communities. We applaud their persistence, tenacity, preparation and hard work, regardless of the color of the uniform they wear. We acknowledge that high school sports are enhancing their lives, and ours, in ways that few other activities could. And we agree that, regardless of what side of the field we sit on, attending a high school sporting event is an uplifting, enriching, family-friendly experience for all of us and students should not have to worry about just a few bucks just to get in.