Olivia Cattabriga / Art Director

Claire Boughton

          Senior Sports Reporter

Why is it that a fan of the Keene State soccer team has to dish out $5 whenever they want to see a game but a fan of Keene State field hockey can sit and watch a game for free?

Keene State men’s soccer will have eight home games in their 2019 regular season, meaning fans who want to go and cheer on the Owls have to chalk up $40 in total to view all games.

Keene State women’s soccer stands at ten home games in their 2019 regular season, meaning fans will pay $50.

However, a fan of Keene State volleyball can watch all fifteen 2019 regular-season home games with no money coming out of their wallets.

But why is that?

Is it a popularity thing?

Is it because of the different facilities?

Maybe someday, long ago, someone just decided to start charging and picked the first couple of sports to come to mind.

“Honestly, I have absolutely no idea why they charge at [some] games and they don’t charge at [other] games,” said Kayla Klein, a junior at Keene State as well as a forward on the women’s field hockey team.

“I know that students get in free… with an Owl Card,” Klein said. “They charge in the tournament and they charge in the NCAA…”

“It’s interesting,” added Ally McCall, who chimed in during the Klein interview.

“I feel like it’s probably based off of who wants to go; like, more people probably want to go to a men’s soccer game,” said McCall.

So what is the school’s reasoning?

“There’s been a historical president of choosing what sports… are ticketed sports and what are not,” Abraham Osheyack, the assistant athletic director for Keene State College, said when asked that very question.

“I believe it started at some point in the 1980s where soccer and basketball would draw bigger crowds than some of the other sports,” said Osheyack. “There’s a bigger opportunity to drive revenue through those [two] sports… [however, the athletic department] evaluate ticketing options every year.”

But what does the student body think?

“I feel like it shouldn’t be dependent on the sport,” said Camilla Shaw, a junior at Keene State and an avid Owls supporter. “I think [paying to watch] should be more universalized… either [fans] pay to watch a sport or they don’t… regardless of the amount of money that could be [earned].”

Keene State College students can attend games for free by flashing their Owl Card.

As well as that, Owl players who participate in ticketed sports such as soccer and basketball are given four complimentary tickets per home contest. Any family or non-KSC friends over four, however, have to pay to watch.

Claire Boughton

can be contacted at

cboughton@kscequinox.com

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Claire Boughton

Hello! My name is Claire Boughton. I have worked with the Equinox for a little over two years and have held the position of the Senior Sports Reporter and now the Sports Editor. I am from West Simsbury, Connecticut, and live with my mom and dad. I have an older brother named Grant who is currently living in Albany, New York, but plans to move to New York City in a few months (because a global pandemic didn’t seem to scare him away from city-life). I have two cats named Stella and Luna, a dog named Sage and a fish named Shrimp. My cats are both 16 years old, making them both 108 human years old. That means that they would have survived through the Great Depression, both World Wars, the Cold War, women earning the right to vote and so much more. That’s a lot of wisdom. My dog is 12 years old, making her 74 human years old. We adopted her when she was four years old from Arkansas. I’m not sure how old Shrimp is but he is a baby betta I bought at PETCO about three weeks ago. I am an avid plant owner and love to help my friends and family keep their plants alive. I also wrote an article on kscequinox.com about what plants are good for what dorm rooms. I paint and draw in whatever free time I have and sometimes ride my bike that I got in middle school. My favorite part of the Sports Editor position is creating the weekly layout for the sports section. I have always loved design and making things nice to look at which I get to do every week with this job! If you are interested in writing for the sports section or have any questions you can contact me at cboughton@kscequinox.com.