Use of Participation Fees Falls Slightly
July 29, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The percentage of Michigan High School Athletic Association high schools that assessed participation fees to help fund interscholastic athletics dropped five percent during the 2014-15 school year to its lowest since 2011-12, according to the most recent survey taken by the MHSAA – although the ratio of schools assessing fees remained above 50 percent of respondents for the fifth straight year.
A total of 522 high schools – or 69 percent of the MHSAA membership – responded to the 2014-15 survey for the highest feedback rate since 2010-11. A total of 269 high schools, or 51.5 percent that took the survey, charged fees this school year, compared to 56.6 percent of schools that responded in 2013-14.
There were 753 senior high schools in the MHSAA membership in 2014-15. This was the 11th survey of schools since the 2003-04 school year, when members reported fees were being charged by 24 percent of schools. The percentage of member schools charging fees crossed 50 percent in 2010-11 and remained at 50.5 percent in 2011-12 before making a nearly five-percent jump three school years ago.
The largest drop of those charging fees in 2014-15 came at Class B schools, with 52 percent reporting fees after 62 percent reported using them in 2013-14. Class A schools saw a seven-percent decrease to 70 percent with fees, and Class D schools saw a four-percent decrease to 35 percent that assessed. Class C schools saw a one-percent increase to 47 percent assessing for participation.
Charging a standardized fee for each team on which a student-athletes participates – regardless of the number of teams – remains the most popular method among schools assessing fees, although that rate fell slightly from 41 percent of schools assessing during 2013-14 to 39 percent this school year. Schools charging a one-time standardized fee per student-athlete also fell, from 33 to 28 percent of schools that assess fees. The survey showed a slight increase in schools assessing fees based on tiers of the number of sports a student-athlete plays (for example, charging a larger fee for the first team and less for additional sports). There also was a slight increase in fees being assessed based on the specific sport being played.
The median fee by schools that charged student-athletes per sport did drop $10 to $75. Other fees remained consistent from the 2013-14 school year: the median one-time student fee at $100, the median annual maximum fee per student at $150 and the median annual maximum family fee at $300.
The survey for 2014-15 and surveys from previous years can be found on the MHSAA Website by clicking here.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,400 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.
Breslin Center Entrance Protocols Announced
March 20, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
To provide for the convenience and safety of spectators attending the Michigan High School Athletic Association Boys Basketball Finals at Michigan State University’s Breslin Student Event Center in East Lansing, March 22-24, attendees are being advised of a variety of items related to tickets and security – including new policies regulating types of bags allowed into the arena.
Class C and D Semifinals will be played March 22, followed by Class A and B Semifinals on March 23 and all four championship games March 24. In a scheduling change from past seasons, the first Semifinals on March 22 and 23 will begin at noon, followed by the next games at 2 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively. Breslin Center doors will open one hour before the start of each session – 11 a.m. before the Class C and A games and 4:30 p.m. prior to the starts in Class D and B – and the arena will be cleared after the conclusion of the 2 p.m. Semifinals each day.
For the Finals on March 24, doors will open at 9 a.m. for the Class D championship game beginning at 10 a.m. The arena will be cleared at the conclusion of the 12:15 p.m. Class A championship game, and doors will open again at 3:30 p.m., an hour prior to the start of the Class C Final. The Class B Final is the day’s last game and scheduled for tip-off at 6:45 p.m.
Tickets are priced at $10 per session, both for reserved seats in the lower bowl and general admission seats in the upper deck. Tickets include admission to two games per session – both games for each Class during the Semifinals, and then either the Class D/A or Class C/B Finals on March 24. The option to buy tickets online will remain open through the start of each session; tickets purchased online may be printed off or picked up at the Breslin Center will call.
Security measures also will be in place to help assure spectator safety. Upon arrival in the building, fans will be subject to metal detector screening, and Breslin Center personnel reserve the right to request patrons open their coats and any item-carrying vessels for visual inspection and deny entrance to individuals who do not cooperate.
Items which fans will be prohibited from bringing into the building include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Purses or bags of any size
• Weapons
• Containers of any kind – including aerosol and spray cans
• Umbrellas, flags, flagpoles
• Alcoholic beverages
• Food of any kind
• Coolers, thermoses
• Cups, bottles, cans, flasks
• Bottled water
• Camcorders, tripods, selfie-sticks, large cameras, cases
• Chair backs
• Projectiles and other potentially dangerous objects
• All tobacco products
The following items will be permitted after inspection:
• Binoculars (but no cases)
• Pagers and cell phones (but not selfie-sticks)
• Small cameras and radios (but no cases)
• Strollers – These must be checked with Guest Services or platform attendant after entry.
Prohibited items discovered during security inspections at arena entrances must be returned to the owner's vehicle or discarded. Items will not be held for later pickup.
Fans are reminded that all image taking (still and video) may be only for personal, non-commercial use.