Is this the truth about the OHSAA?

I have heard from a reputable source that the OHSAA has proposed in all sports except Football and Boys and Girls Basketball there will be a fee for each athlete competing in first qualifying level for the state tournament. The fee will be 25 dollars per athlete meaning 10 wrestlers at sectionals will cost a school 250 dollars. In wrestling that will be bad enough but imagine track or baseball or softball with more players on a team. I was also told that schools playing football for state championships no longer get a cut of the tickets they sell. It all goes to the OHSAA. Can anyone confirm this.
 
 
If this is a one year thing, it has to be done given the OHSAA funding tied almost entirely to ticket sales in lieu of membership dues.

But yes I think schools that aren't having a good year would still rather opt out and schedule a full compliment of games where they get the revenue for home games, what little it might be, than to get crunched in a playoff game they get no revenue from no matter what and possible face the stigma of their season being "over" with the inevitable loss. Just play ten games and call it a season.
 
Especially if we stick with the big regions and not break it up into smaller districts. I have no idea which one is going to happen, but if it sticks with one big, 26-28 team region, why should, using my school as an example, Defiance at likely 0-6 travel all the way to potentially Cleveland, lose by 30-40 AND pay all those expenses? At that point I'd rather take the bye, rest up, and try to win a game or 2 in our last 4.

Then again, maybe some schools will view it as a positive expense, a chance to give their kids an extra game for experience or even as a gift for their hard work in uncertain times.
 
I have heard from a reputable source that the OHSAA has proposed in all sports except Football and Boys and Girls Basketball there will be a fee for each athlete competing in first qualifying level for the state tournament. The fee will be 25 dollars per athlete meaning 10 wrestlers at sectionals will cost a school 250 dollars. In wrestling that will be bad enough but imagine track or baseball or softball with more players on a team. I was also told that schools playing football for state championships no longer get a cut of the tickets they sell. It all goes to the OHSAA. Can anyone confirm this.

Here are the cuts and financial changes the OHSAA announced this weekend. I don't see any additional charges for wrestling.

Cuts and Other OHSAA Financial Changes Include:

  • Standard Ticket Pricing: All sectional and district tournament tickets will be sold online at $8.00.
  • Presale Ticket Shares/Bonuses: Football and basketball presale ticket shares/bonuses will not be paid out to member schools participating in 202021 OHSAA tournaments.
  • Online Tickets: Presale tournament tickets will be available for all sports and will be sold online. At this point we do not expect gate tickets will be offered.
  • Team Tournament Expenses: No team expenses will be paid to member schools participating in 2020-21 OHSAA tournaments.
  • Tournament Entry Fees: $25 tournament entry fees will be incorporated for the following sports: boys and girls bowling; boys and girls golf; gymnastics; boys and girls cross country; boys and girls tennis; boys and girls track & field, and boys and girls swimming & diving. As OHSAA “emerging” sports, boys and girls lacrosse will continue to have a $100 fee per gender.
  • Other Fees: Bowling tournament lane fees and golf tournament greens fees will not be paid by the OHSAA in 2020-21.
  • Tournament Suspension: The regional and state dual team wrestling tournaments will be suspended for the 2020-21 school year (although the 83rd season of the individual wrestling tournaments will continue).
 
A reasonable plan. I do not understand the outrage
People seem to think organizing and running high school events is some mega-money maker and that the OHSAA is flush with cash.

It seems logical to me in the era of COVID normal revenues will be down and costs will be up. That has to come from somewhere.
 
EF do you work for or with the OHSAA. Don't duck that one too.

As unbiased and analytical as you are you seem to have a dog in the fight.
Just because his analysis is different than your hot take doesn’t mean his approach isn’t still unbiased and analytical.
 
You do realize that Ohio is one of the few states that aren't already charging teams/schools/players to participate in their tournaments. They are also one of the few that gives travel money to teams and covers hotel costs for teams participating in the state tournaments in the respective sports. It's simple math really. Fans aren't attending HS sports like they used to....even at the local level. Renting facilities isn't cheap....the money has to come from somewhere. My kids both played HS sports when there was no fee.....but I'd gladly pay $25/sport for my kid to have the opportunity to play in the playoffs or tournament. Oh, and I also have never paid $7 a day for a Starbucks coffee or spent $10 a day on cigarettes........but I guess we all have our priorities right???
 
The $25 fee is per school not participant. Still dirt cheap for schools. Only exception is bowling and golf. Schools will pay their own lane and greens fees.
 
The alternative is....

No post season tournaments.


The OHSAA is far from perfect, (see firing Jerry Snodgrass for their most recent screw up) but you aren't going to find another entity that can do or does what the OHSAA does for their student athletes.....
 
Most of the people that have a problem with this have no problem at all with ponying up several hundred dollars or more for a summer or aau event.
 
I would bet if a community that makes it a priority to support their school teams wants to, they could raise 25 per athlete in one mention at the next chamber of commerce meeting.
 
it isn’t $25 per athlete. It’s $25 per team.

And that's only for the sports of boys and girls bowling; boys and girls golf; gymnastics; boys and girls cross country; boys and girls tennis; boys and girls track & field, and boys and girls swimming & diving.
 
it isn’t $25 per athlete. It’s $25 per team.
If that's the case then that is very much a non issue. Someone up above used wrestling as an example and said a team could have 10 individuals on it costing them $250.00.
 
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