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Comment by sarchertech | Hacker News Reader

What percentage of a new high school’s cost is the Football field?

The band, color guard, freshmen, and JV teams generally use that field as well. Many students attend games. Not to mention the fact that in many schools graduation happens on the football field.

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Forget high school stadiums, I would move the whole discussion back to why society is subsidizing a game that is known to cause brain damage to children.

I think that OP is referencing new taxes for existing schools. This happened a lot in my area, where schools that were built in the 60's and 70's get major renovations often including new athletic facilities. One common large expense is a 'field house' which is like a large enclosed field. When I was in high school, there were only a few such 'field houses' with indoor tracks for winter track season. Now I can't think of a local high school without such a facility. FWIW I fully support such expenditure, field houses seem to benefit a wide array of groups within a school and make certain activities possible (e.g., indoor track and field) that aren't otherwise. But I live in the north where our high school football fields look like high school football fields, not stadiums like I believe exist at many high schools in the south. [1] I would not support a high school building a large football stadium.

[1] https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/highschool/article/T...

Here in Montgomery County, MD, I am unaware of any high schools with a Field House. The idea that they're standard is just completely bizarre to me.

I don’t know of any around me either.

I agree with your overall point, but is this still true?

> Not to mention the fact that in many schools graduation happens on the football field.

Maybe it's because I live where I live, but no high schools around me do this any more; it's all at local amphitheaters and the like.

This varies greatly by region. In Ohio, athletics are mostly dominated by single-gender Catholic high-schools, and they have the facilities to match.

Fair enough; I'm in Atlanta suburbia, so quite a ways away.

Also the track and field teams.

And in my experience, when the teams are not using the field, the public can use it (either it's open for e.g. walking/jogging, or it can be reserved for a group event or youth football, soccer, or other community events).

The kids that attend games have been conditioned to do so. School graduations happen in the field because it’s there already.

"Don't subsidize X because only a small percentage of people use it."

"Actually, a fairly large percentage of people use it."

"Those people don't count because they've been conditioned to use it."

>it's there already

Doesn't change the fact that you'd need to pay for some alternative venue if it wasn't there.

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