Few things are lovelier than Athens in August except for, perhaps, Athens in September. For while summer nights in this college town often result in impromptu cornhole tournaments, a fair number of its autumn nights result in impromptu attendance at some Bobcats athletics event.
In a town where a steady income and extra cash are at a premium, Ohio athletics remain accessible, especially to students. Case in point: A valid Ohio student ID means free admission to all 31 Bobcats home games, matches and meets during the fall. The last time I checked, nothing was cheaper than free.
So during an extended economic lag, when the school's budget is a perpetual concern and administrators are searching for creative ways to bring in more money, it would have been all too easy for the Ohio Athletics Department to milk students for more money in the form of tickets.
But they haven't. While larger schools such as Ohio State continue to charge $3 for admission to soccer and volleyball matches (and don't get me started about their football ticket prices and lotteries), Ohio has held fast to that other four-letter f-word: free.
I'm sure that some tiny percentage of the tuition we pay goes toward the athletics department and facilities maintenance, and I'm sure charging students for tickets has been proposed at some point or another, but I'd like to think it hasn't. I'd like to think that, at Ohio, some things won't change, though I'm sure they will.
And while changes, as always, abound within Ohio sports, they will also be prevalent in The Post's coverage of those sports.
While the classic preview and recap format will remain the same, readers will notice box score graphics after every contest, regardless of sport. Think of it as our way of making things easier for you during breakfast (or that pesky 8 a.m. class).
Another change is the implementation of a regular weekly columnist. Mike Cottrill (page 25), a senior English major, will write Cottrill's Corner every Tuesday. Highly opinionated (but rarely wrong), he welcomes letters of praise and hate.
A final addition to The Post's coverage is The Week in Preview
which can be found Fridays in Overtime, the weekly sports supplement. TWIP will provide a complete schedule for the coming week for all Ohio teams, and will point out early story lines readers can watch for during those games. Cut it out and put it on the fridge, OK?
Surely, more subtle changes will be found throughout Fall Quarter, but I'll leave you some fun and let you notice them yourself. That is, assuming you read The Post, which, just like Ohio student tickets, is free.
-LaWell is a junior journalism major and The Post's sports editor. He had a nasty experience this summer when he had to cover real news for The Summer Post. Send him an e-mail at matthew.lawell@ohiou.edu 17
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Matt LaWell
