A lot of people like the word “FREE” or “DISCOUNT,” especially when it comes to sporting events. While your ID card used to get you into games for free, now you’re going to have to purchase an ASB sticker to gain free entrance to games and discounts for other activities.

According to Athletic Director Anthony Avitia and Activities Director Tiffany Ayala, “Around four years ago schools in the district made it mandatory for schools to buy the ASB sticker.” Because the ASB sticker is not mandatory anymore, the money that used to come in isn’t there anymore. Now in order to be able to enter school football, basketball, volleyball, or other games (not including CCS) for free, student must have their ASB sticker. Ayala says, “The fees are to pay for sports, dances, and school events, but the ASB doesn’t cover all. There are admission costs but they also don’t cover all sports because unlike football, basketball, and volleyball other sports such as baseball, softball, and tennis don’t charge.”

Many don’t like this, but honestly this is a great opportunity for discounts and so many more benefits. Athletes benefit from this by the letterman patches, referees, costs associated with transportation, trophies for awards, Block A if on Varsity, free entrance to all sporting events as spectators, and senior appreciation gifts. For Non-athletes the benefits are discounts at dances, the haunted house talent show, free entrances to games, one free ID replacement, and possibly a 10% discount on clothes.

Of course, many students wish the ASB sticker wasn’t $45 dollars, even I wish that at times too because we have so many other expenses. Even though many of us may not want to spend that much on a sticker and would rather spend our money on a shirt, or food, it’s worth it.

You are saving so much money by entering games for free instead of having to pay to get in. For example, it would be $3 without ASB or $5-$7 if you don’t have an ID. If I were to add up all the money that I have saved over the four last years that I’ve bought my ASB sticker, I would have enough money to pay for prom, my senior pictures, and possibly my prom dress.

The ASB sticker eventually stops paying for itself as the year goes along this being a reason for why it’s better to buy it in the beginning of the year so you are able to receive more discounts. Avitia said winter is the season when the students benefit more from the ASB sticker than any other season due to basketball for girls and boys, Winter Ball, and more. If you don’t pay $45 for the ASB, the cost with your ID alone is $168 almost quadruples the amount, and without ID would be $288 more than six times as much the price paid for the ASB. These prices are a total of how much it would be to enter all football, freshman football, volleyball, boys and girls’ basketball, boys and girls’ soccer, wrestling, and track and field games/meets.

Many of us wonder where this money actually goes to, and it’s to school purposes, which benefits both athletes and non-athletes. Not only does this money go to sports in particular but as Ayala points out that it also goes to “Renaissance, and providing quality events and dances.” So the money basically comes back to benefit all students.

Honestly, I have bought the ASB sticker every year since my freshman year, and I’ve definitely seen the incentives, discounts, and privileges there is to being both a student athlete with an ASB sticker, and just a regular Trojan who enjoys watching my classmates compete in the sport they love. From 2010 to now the ASB sticker has been a positive investment for me.