Longer run in the postseason doesn’t mean profit for schools

By Joe Scalzo

So, what about the playoffs?

Ironically, advancing deep in the playoffs is often a money loser.

“When we make a playoff run, there is a profit, but you get to a point of diminishing returns,” said Columbiana High football coach Bob Spaite, who advanced to the Division VI regional finals in 2005 and 2006. “The further you go, the less profit you make.”

For football playoff games, schools kept $1.20 of each $7 presale ticket last season (roughly 17 percent), with the Ohio High School Athletic Association taking the rest. There’s a similar setup for other sports.

Oh, and those $9 tickets you buy at the gate? The OHSAA keeps it.

“That’s a total rip as far as I’m concerned,” said Spaite.

On the positive side, schools can keep income from things like parking and concessions. And the OHSAA pays traveling schools a stipend to cover transportation (for the team and at least some of the cheerleaders and band members), lodging and food.

But, often, the money runs out before the expenses, Spaite said.

“When Crestview’s girls volleyball team went to state, it actually cost them money,” he said. “The state gives back so little.”

Of course, making the playoffs can help in other areas. You might sell more T-shirts to fans, more season tickets the next fall or get more donations from boosters.

Just don’t count on the playoffs to provide an immediate boost to the bottom line, especially in the later rounds.

“If you’re going on the road, you’re at the mercy of the state,” Spaite said. “And the reimbursement never covers it.