COLUMBUS, Ohio — A new piece of legislation aimed at high school ticket pricing dropped the same day as the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s football postseason started.
The legislators who introduced the bill claim families are being priced out of sporting events due to the cost of tickets — the prices of which are set by the OHSAA.
If someone purchases a playoff game ticket online, that ticket will run them $9 for student tickets and $12 for adults. If that same person waits to buy the ticket at the gate in cash, it will run them $15. Some Ohio lawmakers said this is an unfair practice and punishes people paying cash at the games.
"It becomes cost prohibitive to support your school. It shouldn't be that. It should be enough to pay the electricity, pay the referees. It shouldn't be something that is at a profit," said Representative Jason Stephens, (R-District 93) House Speaker. "It's something we need to keep an eye on and make sure it is part of our communities and our culture in Ohio. We want to maintain that and continue to grow it."
OHSAA responded to the legislation in a statement Friday.
“The Ohio High School Athletic Association is aware of the legislation introduced today, October 27, regarding the gate price set for OHSAA tournament games and that the gate price is higher than the online ticket price, particularly as it relates to student tickets. The OHSAA will continue to discuss this issue today and over the weekend with lawmakers and the OHSAA Board of Directors regarding any changes to the cash price of tickets. More information will be released on Monday, October 30.”
A line was added into the state’s recent biennial budget requiring cash to be accepted at school functions.
With the legislation being introduced at the postseason start, it is unlikely it would make it through the necessary steps and voted into law before the season ends.
📺 10TV+ is available for free: Stay up to date on what's happening in your community with a 24/7 live stream and on demand content from 10TV — available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.
📧 Subscribe to the Wake Up CBUS newsletter featuring the best stories, personally curated by members of our staff and delivered via email by 6 a.m., Monday through Friday.