A LeFlore County legislator has introduced a bill aimed at ensuring fans who attend Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association postseason events will be able to buy their tickets using cash.

Rep. Rick West, R-Heavener, said his proposal, House Bill 2972, would force organizations such as the OSSAA to accept cash for admittance to sporting events or any other activity at which payment is required for entry. It would also stipulate an organization can't charge any more for the option of taking cash, nor offer a discount for the use of another payment method, such as a credit card or cash app.

The bill’s language would affect organizations or associations which charge school districts a membership fee, retain a portion of revenue generated by an interscholastic activity or contest of the member schools, and provide the coordination, supervision and regulation of the interscholastic activity or contest.

Van Shea Iven, the media relations director for the OSSAA, said West spoke with the OSSAA’s executive director, David Jackson, last fall about West’s concerns.

The OSSAA began offering online ticket purchases as early as 2010 – often with a so-called “convenience fee” attached, increasing the actual price – but also allowed for cash sales. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it required fans who wanted to attend a postseason event, such as a state tournament, to purchase tickets electronically.

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That option remains strongly encouraged, although OSSAA media relations director Van Shea Iven said Wednesday the organization has “never stopped offering a cash option at OSSAA playoff events.” He also said the cash option at the gate during OSSAA playoff contests costs the buyer $3 more than the online option, and that money is kept by the host school and is not sent to the OSSAA.

The “convenience fee” for online sales is $1.35 for a $7 ticket to an OSSAA event, he said, and it’s $1.50 for a $10 event ticket.

“We started offering the option for several reasons before COVID,” Iven said. “The main reason was safety concerns of people leaving arenas, ballparks and stadiums with large amounts of cash late at night and walking through dark parking lots. Other reasons for offering an online option is to get fans in to games quicker, it’s more efficient, (requires) less staffing to work the gates/ticket booths, members schools that were already doing this encouraging us to get with the times, etc. Once COVID hit the safety reasons also included it was more sanitary with no cash being exchanged.”

The concept remains unpopular with some fans. In recent years, it’s become a common sight at entry points to OSSAA postseason events to see people who aren’t aware of the online purchase program attempt to navigate the ticket vendor’s website on a cell phone or other electronic device. West said he’s heard from constituents who said they faced being turned away from tournament games last year when their only method of payment was cash.

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"We don't live in a cashless society, and honestly it's dangerous to try and go in that direction," West said. "Our ability to purchase what we want at any time easily could be taken away from us if we go cashless. We don't need to give the government that much control over our lives.

"It's also hard for people, like grandparents, who don't have a credit card or a cash app on their phone, to enjoy these games. For some in rural areas, this is one of their only forms of entertainment. Going cashless disenfranchises many."

A link on the front page of the OSSAA’s website says, “Click Here To Buy Tickets to OSSAA Playoff Events” and leads to a page with a logo for a company called GoFan. That company, based in Alpharetta, Georgia, claims on its website that since 2001, it has worked with more than 10,000 schools and sold more than 30 million tickets – “more digital high school tickets than any company.” Iven said the organization does not pay GoFan anything for the service.

According to the GoFan website, the company joined PlayOn! Sports in 2022. PlayOn! Operates the NFHS Network, an online portal to view high school sports throughout the U.S. The OSSAA is a member of the NFHS – the National Federation of State High School Associations.

GoFan did not return an emailed request for comment.

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Other organizations in Oklahoma that conduct athletic events, such as the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, no longer accept cash. At the Paycom Center, the home of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, all financial transactions also are electronic. Iven said when OU or OSU venues are used by the OSSAA, the organization does have a cashless requirement for ticket sales.

If signed into law, the act would become effective July 1. The bill will be eligible for consideration during the upcoming legislative session, which starts Feb. 5.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma lawmaker: Keep cash an option in buying OSSAA athletic tickets