Opinion: GoFan isn’t your enemy and other postseason basketball topics
Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s Jack Karasinski during the state finals in 2021 with the MHSAA logo in the background. (Photo | Lenny Padilla)
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - I wasn’t the biggest fan of GoFan.
But I think I get it now.
For high school postseason events, the Michigan High School Athletic Association no longer allows cash to buy tickets.
I have a few opinions about this and a few other topics about the postseason.
Last week, I ran a poll on Twitter about why the MHSAA makes fans buy tickets online at GoFan but does not allow cash. People were upset. Of the 310 people who voted on this poll, only 8 percent said they liked the new format, 23 percent said they liked using cash and 68 percent said why not use both cash and GoFan.
Several people raised concern that not everyone has a smartphone or might have difficulty navigating this, such as grandparents. And they are some of the most ardent fans.
But I realized using GoFans allows schools to monitor how many people are going to the games based on ticket sales and it also can tell them if a game is sold out.
How many times have you driven an hour to a postseason game hoping that you got in the door? I’ve been to big playoff games when people were turned away at the door and they were furious.
I get that using cash is way easier for high school games. You do it all year long in the regular season. But the postseason is a different animal. You can still use cash to buy a hot dog.
START THE SECOND GAME LATER
Every year, when it comes to the district semIfinals and the regional semifinals, the host school always has two games in the same gym. A 5:30 p.m. game and a 7 p.m. start. First of all, I think schools should make start time of the second game at 7:30 p.m. Schools need time to move fans in and out of the games.
Or start the games at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. That gives fans who work until 5 p.m. some time to get to the game.
CLEAR THE GYM AFTER GAME 1
Secondly, when there is two games in one night, there is a massive fan base wanting to see their team. Parking will always be a nightmare for the fans going to Game 2. But I think all host schools need to clear the gym after the first game. That gives fans of Game 2 a chance to see their team. If not, fans of Game 1 linger around. Often, they don’t care who wins Game 2, but since they are already in the game “why not see the second game?” But that screws over fans of Game 2.
I was at a huge Division 1 regional semifinal at Grand Haven a few years ago. They cleared the gym after Game 1 and it worked out really smoothly. Secondly, this gives the host school a chance to sell more in concessions and the school and the MHSAA make way more when they can sell tickets to two games instead of one.
The Forest Hills Eastern boys basketball team celebrates after winning their bracket at the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament on Dec. 21, 2022. (Photo | Lenny Padilla)
FOREST HILLS EASTERN SHOULDN’T HOST BIG GAMES
A year ago today, I went to the regional semifinal at Forest Hills Eastern High School. Sparta played Whitehall in Game 1. But the big game was Grand Rapids Catholic Central vs. Grand Rapids Christian in the second game. There was a HUGE crowd. They didn’t clear the gym, by the way and hundreds of fans were upset. But my issue isn’t with that. It’s with the location.
FH Eastern is an awesome school. Great facilities and the athletics department does a nice job putting on a postseason event.
However, the location is horrible. The logistics of getting in and out of the school is an absolute nightmare.
I’ve been to football games at FH Eastern and it has taken me over 30 minutes just to get out of the parking lot. It hosted the MHSAA track state finals and it took me almost an hour just to get IN to the parking lot.
Geographically, the school is in a terrible spot. The main artery to get to the school is crossing a single bridge over the Grand River on Knapp Street.
I love the school and the fans, but there shouldn’t be big postseason events at FH Eastern.
Unity Christian fans during a basketball game this season. (Photo | Lenny Padilla)
STUDENTS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR TICKETS
This is more of a regular-season issue. But I’ve always wondered why schools charge their own students to get into sporting events. Don’t you want to encourage your student body to go show school spirit? Guess who has no money. Kids. Most don’t have jobs and even if they do, they don’t have the funs to blow on going to every home game.
If a student has to pay to go to 11 home basketball games, that’s $55 bucks. Not to mention they likely will want to buy food at the concession stand. And that’s just basketball. This would encourage students to go watch all the other sports, too.
I believe that a student with a valid ID card should get in for free.
