Columbus is a sports city. Sports Business Journal listed Ohio’s capital among the top 10 host cities for sports events. Four pro teams play within a half-mile stretch of Nationwide Blvd. aka Sports Street. We have DI sports at Ohio State, DII at Ohio Dominican and DIII at Otterbein, Ohio Wesleyan and Capital.

Any given week there are dozens of live college and pro sports events happening around the city. Plenty of them are free or cheap to attend. We rounded up a list of some of the best values in Columbus sports so you can stretch your dollar but still take in all the sports you can handle.
 

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Ohio State

>> Get Buckeyes Tickets
The Buckeyes are one of the biggest and most successful college athletic programs in NCAA DI history. Of the 36 varsity sports at Ohio State, 20 of them offer free admission. Children under 2 are free at all Ohio state athletic events if they sit on an adult’s lap. Additionally, parking is free at these events and just about every other sport besides football and men’s basketball. Here's a list of the Ohio State teams you can watch live for free:

  • Soccer – men’s & women’s
  • Tennis – men’s & women’s
  • Golf – men’s & women’s
  • Track & Field – men’s & women’s
  • Swimming & Diving – men’s & women’s
  • Cross Country – men’s & women’s
  • Men’s volleyball
  • Men’s gymnastics
  • Synchronized Swimming
  • Fencing
  • Field Hockey
  • Pistol
  • Rifle
  • Rowing

The get-in price for to other Buckeyes sports is much lower than you might think. Check out the public pricing for adults. Youth/student, senior and group (10+) pricing is typically a few dollars less per ticket than the numbers below.

 

Columbus Clippers

>> Get Clippers Tickets // Know Before You Go: Huntington Park
The Clippers play 70+ home games at Huntington Park each year and offer one of the most affordable tickets in town. You can see Major League Baseball stars of tomorrow for just $8 a game all season long. Children under 2 do not require a ticket as long as they sit on their parent’s lap. To really stretch your wallet, head to a ballgame on Dime-A-Dog night where hot dogs are just 10 cents each.

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Ohio Dominican

>> Get Panthers Tickets
The Panthers are the only DII team in Columbus and located under 10 minutes from downtown. They have seven men’s and seven women’s sports, all with affordable tickets. This spring, men’s and women’s basketball tickets are $10 for adults and just $5 for seniors and youth.
 

Capital University

>> Get Comets Tickets
The Comets play in Bexley, just a few miles from downtown, and have 17 DIII sports (eight men’s and nine women’s). Admission to seven Capital sports are free, including cross country, track & field, golf and women’s bowling. The other ten sports have tickets priced at $8 for adults and $6 for youth/seniors:

  • Basketball – men’s & women’s
  • Soccer – men’s & women’s
  • Lacrosse – men’s & women’s
  • Indoor track – men’s & women’s
  • Volleyball
  • Football
     

Otterbein

>> Get Cardinals Tickets
The Otterbein Cardinals have 21 sports – 10 men’s and 10 women’s and one co-ed. Men’s and women’s basketball tickets are $8 and track & field tickets are just $5. Children 7 and under get in free to all athletic events.

 

Ohio Wesleyan

The DIII Battling Bishops play their home games in Delaware, offering 11 men’s, 11 women’s and 1 co-ed sport for a total of 23 teams. Tickets are available at the door for each sport and they’re just $5 for adults or $3 for seniors and students. Children under 12 get in free to all OWU athletic events.