[jammin' jamey]

Another thing is some of the schools don't have a band or dance team and that takes away quite a few people that would be there not only to participate but also to watch their kids.

Very true. It's sad that pep bands have gone by the wayside at many schools in our area. Bands ad to the excitement during timeouts and just make the event more alive. Same goes for dance teams and cheerleaders. So many times these days, cheerleaders don't go on the road. Just takes away from the excitement. And you're right, it hurts the gates.

It wasn't unheard of several years ago to have a middle school or grade school game play an opener, followed by a JV and Varsity high school game. That also helps turn the gates, but many times scheduling is a problem and how do you split the money between the host schools...