PlayOn Sports — the parent company of the digital ticketing system GoFan — acquired MaxPreps from CBS Sports on April 2. The merger comes as digital ticketing regulations change.
MaxPreps is one of the largest high school sports media companies in the nation, covering 29 sports across all 50 states, including sports at Whitman. While the details of how much PlayOn Sports paid for MaxPreps remains undisclosed by the companies, MaxPreps is currently estimated to have over $30 million in yearly revenue. KKR — a leading global investment firm — was a driving factor in the merger, backing PlayOn Sports.
At Whitman, GoFan replaced cash payments for event tickets such as socials and sports games.
Eighty percent of GoFan’s regular-season ticket profits go directly to schools, while the company retains the remaining 20%. GoFan operates in counties throughout Maryland and the nation. In Howard County, GoFan has similar agreements to MCPS, allowing $1 per ticket sold to go to GoFan. Athletic Director William Toth has worked with MCPS and GoFan and says MCPS doesn’t have an official agreement with MaxPreps.
“There is a fee that’s set by MCPS, which is $4, and then there’s a $1 processing fee charged by GoFan,” Toth said. “If a student or parents attend a Whitman sporting event, or even a visitor, that money, the $4 part of it, goes back to the individual schools.”
Before using GoFan, many athletic events didn’t include an additional fee.
In North Carolina, the state legislature partially passed a bill mandating that high school sporting events offer cash payments for tickets. In Maryland, legislators haven’t yet announced formal regulation for digital tickets at high school events. However, states such as Pennsylvania have moved to eliminate cashless tickets.
Junior football player Everett Campbell said paying for sports game tickets was more straightforward for attendees to use before the addition of GoFan.
“We need to go back to cash rather than GoFan,” Campbell said. “Many people who don’t feel like downloading the GoFan app would rather just show up, wait in a little bit of a line, pay $5 and get in.”
The National Federation of High School Sports, affiliated with PlayOn Sports, published an article comparing the pros and cons of digital ticketing platforms. Writers Peter Cardone and David Barth mention that digital ticketing platforms can be more efficient, but they recommend that each school approach digital ticketing in a way that works best for its athletic department.
MaxPreps and PlayOn’s other companies like GoFan facilitate fan engagement in high school sports. Campbell said fans play a crucial role in the school spirit of athletic events.
“Having those fans there really improves the overall energy,” Campbell said. “If we had no fans, that would bring down morale while playing.”
