Some people will do anything to get something for free, and that includes getting into FCHS games without paying. Believe it or not, some students will join an FCHS sport only to get an athletic pass in order to get into games for free.
For example, people who do winter sports get an athletic pass that lasts for the whole winter season. After their season is over, the pass runs out, and the same goes for spring sports. So let’s say you join the winter men’s basketball team. You now have free entrance to all winter sports like basketball, swim/dive, indoor track, and wrestling.
But is it worthwhile to join a sport just for the athletic pass? Not for some, since it’s a lot of work to participate in or even learn a new sport just for one pass that only lasts a season.
Most students enjoy going to football or basketball games to cheer on their team and see their friends. It makes sense they’d want to get in for no charge, especially since the FCHS ticket fees have gone up for the last few years, costing $7 per person to get into a basketball game, while football tickets cost $9 in person and $8 if you buy them in advance on the GoFan app.
But joining a sport has its own cost. You must spend the time and money to get a sport physical and show up to 90% of the practices and all of the competitions. Keeping your grades up also becomes important since in order to play, you must be passing three classes with at least a C and may only be failing one class. Some coaches may require even higher grades to play in games.
“If I were to do a sport just for an athletic pass, I would just do something easy so it’s less of a commitment,” said sophomore Kenny Klein.
Freshman Landon Kovarik is not a fan of the idea. “I feel that it is just a perk of doing a school sport and it’s not worth doing a whole sport just for a pass,” he said.
For me, joining a sports team seems like a huge commitment just to save money, although I definitely know some students who do just that. I feel that students should only join a team if they have a passion for the sport. Sports are also a good way to make new friends, open up, and be yourself. Sports should be all about having fun and trying your hardest to succeed, not just to get in games for free.
