If ticket prices keep rising there will be empty stadiums, but if we make it free the crowds will swell.  Photo courtesy of senior Kevin Rodriguez.

   Sports are a staple in San Luis Obispo High School, and rightfully so, as they bring in crowds of people daily to our school to watch our athletes compete against other high schools across our county. 

  However, attending a high school game of any sort will cost you money in order to get in. Even though it is as little as five to ten dollars, it can be a big turn off for people who are interested in going, but just don’t plan on paying. 

  Expressions asked several students who normally attend games to see if having a free admission would increase the amount of people at our sport events. 

Expressions: Should there be free entry for our sporting events, along with other schools too?

Junior Gage Williams:  I can’t speak for other people but I like know for a fact that I’d go to more games if they were free. A lot of people I know don’t go to games just because they don’t want to have to pay to get in.

Sophomore Jacob Gill: I definitely think it would be a good idea. I play basketball and there should be way more people there at the games, so making it free I feel like would definitely work.

Junior Ethan Johnson: Some of the games I’ve gone to were free, I’m not sure if I got lucky or something, but I’ve been to a soccer game at home and didn’t pay anything, but I went to a basketball game here and had to pay money which doesn’t make sense.

Expressions: What are some cons if this were to be implemented?

Williams: For some of the sports that need equipment replaced and repaired I feel like it would be way harder for them to be funded if all of the sudden it was free to go to the games.

Gill: I think for some games it would be way too crowded. At our football games, I’ve seen people all the way lined up across the fences and stuff just to be able to see the game in some way.

Johnson: Well I would say make the larger games free, since they don’t need as much funding, but at the same time that would just make it less popular to go watch less-publicized sports, since you’d have to pay to see them. 

Expressions: Are there any ways you see this system working?

Williams: Not really honestly. It sounds like a cool concept to get more students involved in our sports games, but I feel like it would never actually happen.

Gill: Maybe just making it completely free for all students, even ones from other schools could work well. If students from other schools had free entry it would definitely get us more involved in like school spirit and morale. 

Johnson: Depending on what the money actually goes to with having to pay to get in, I would say if it doesn’t actually go towards the sports, then yes, I one hundred percent think we should make it free for everyone.

  Although making sporting events free to attend would reduce funding for certain things, having more students and families, from here and from other towns as well come to student-athlete sporting events would make for a much more livelier, and competitive atmosphere.