Michael Yero is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Basha High School for AZPreps365.

The rise of Basha Bears football has impacted more than what’s seen on the football field.

Thanks to the crowd they generate on a weekly basis, from fans to students to vendors, Basha has found various ways of making revenue on game days.

Ensuring a booming turnout for all athletic events has been a priority for Eric Magana, the athletic director at Basha.

Magana took that position three years ago and hasn’t looked back since.

“What better way to spend a Friday night than supporting the Basha Bears,” Magana said with enthusiasm about the football team.

Every week is something new for Magana.

Finding creative ways to involve the entire community goes through his mind constantly. At the same time, getting other school programs involved in the game, including the cheer team and band, is something he believes makes a game day at Basha special.

“I work with the band all week, helping them plan,” he said. During homecoming, we worked with the student council to get some skydivers to jump in to drop the ball before kickoff.”

Even during Fall break, Magana is on the drawing board. He spent this past week expecting a crowd of 5,000 to 6,000 people to attend last Thursday's game against Hamilton. 

Basha (6-1) won, 26-23.

That’s quite the attendance for a school in Chandler that has about 2,600 students enrolled.

“The team’s success drives ticket sales,” Magana said. “People want to see it. There’s a lot more excitement with the student body, they want to be part of the event.”

Having a big outing for football games wasn’t always the case. Magana arrived in Basha in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It wasn’t easy to pack the stadium.  

“Initially, it was no fans allowed,” he said. “When things opened up again we went allowed a certain amount of tickets per player, that sort of thing. Those first couple years at Basha were a little strange because it wasn’t full-scale events.”

Magana came from Chandler High School, a football powerhouse that rarely struggles to get people out to its games.

Eventually, things got more lenient with COVID-19. At the same time, Basha head coach Chris McDonald was building his football program.

“That first year was really difficult because there was a significant decline from the previous year in gate revenue,” he said. “Fast forward a couple of years, we’re out of that realm and we’re starting to see really good gare receipts. The better team you have, the more people want to be there to see it.”

There’s plenty to do at Jim Wall Stadium after purchasing a ticket.

On the home field side, there’s a section dedicated to snowcones of all flavors. Right next to it is a booth to buy merchandise to support the football team.

“We love what the school does to help kids have fun at these games," a student said.

Food and drinks are served in the center where lines fans are constantly in line trying to purchase something, especially at halftime.

As great as that is, safety is top priority for Magana. 

“You can’t have a great experience without being safe,” he said. “I spend a great deal of time working with our resource officer to get things logistically down. “Figuring out how many police officers we need that night. We also meet with the security team at our school before every game.”

The future is bright at Basha. As the team continues to perform at a high level, the national scene is taking notice.

“We’re very excited about the road ahead,” Basha senior cornerback Cole Martin said.

ESPNU will broadcast Basha against Chandler on Friday. The school will receive national exposure and a donation from ESPN between $3,000 and $5,000 for the home team.