NFHS Network Rooted in Our Back Yards

August 28, 2014

By Jack Roberts
MHSAA Executive Director

Throughout my nearly 28-year tenure with the MHSAA, I have been a consistent and outspoken critic of our national organization, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), whenever it attempted an initiative that I saw purposed more for its own promotion than as a needed service for its member associations and their member schools.

When its strategy for service was to promote a “national presence” for the NFHS, I objected. I have never felt that national tournaments or national telecasts would be of the slightest benefit to 99 percent of the MHSAA’s member schools; and worse, I have always believed that those initiatives would tend to corrupt the one percent involved.

So it may have come as a surprise to some of my colleagues in this state and my counterparts across the country when I became an early advocate of the NFHS Network and now serve as the network’s first president.

The definitive difference between the NFHS Network and earlier talk of national tournaments and telecasts is that the network’s thrust is local, not national. In fact, it’s hyper-local.

The heart of the NFHS Network consists of the season-ending tournaments of statewide high school associations across the U.S. The NFHS Network produced Internet broadcasts of at least the culminating contests for most of the sports sponsored by most of the three dozen state associations contributing content during 2013-14, the network’s first year of operation.

While state high school associations provide an immense potential for content, there are only 51 member associations of the NFHS, in contrast to the coast-to-coast pool of nearly 20,000 member high schools these associations serve. It is this local content through the School Broadcasting Program that gives the network its legs. The aggregation of all this content is the magnet to draw media partners, sponsors and subscribers; and it is this local emphasis that attracted my support of the concept, and now my service to the network board of directors.

School sports is first, last and always about local teams. And it’s not just high-profile sports and varsity teams; it’s just as much about lower profile programs and subvarsity events.

There are more school-sponsored football games in Michigan during one week than there are NFL games across the U.S. all season long. There are more school-sponsored basketball games in Michigan during one week than there are NBA games across the U.S. all season. And we serve two dozen other sports as well.

Together, the MHSAA and the SBP can provide enough live and on-demand Internet programming to provide MHSAA.tv with authentic high school sports broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days each year. And those who subscribe to Internet broadcasts on MHSAA.tv have access to content from the local school and state association level from coast to coast and border to border.

The success of the NFHS Network will not be “made-for-TV” national-scope tournaments or matchups between teams with the most highly recruited players. Our success will come from the aggregation of thousands of typical local rivalries that are played all school year long in every nook of this state and every cranny of our nation.

At least while I’m involved, the NFHS Network will be true to the mission of school-based sports and uplift the values for which educational athletics have always stood.

For years, school sports have stood apart from non-school sports as the preferred brand of youth sports because we offered letter jackets, pep assemblies, pep bands, marching bands, cheerleaders and homecomings. Going forward, school sports will also stand apart from other youth sports because of the NFHS Network.

Variety of Events LIVE on MHSAA.tv

January 7, 2015

By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director

One of the great features of the MHSAA School Broadcast Program is that there’s no limit to the different types of activities that can be covered, and some of that diversity will be on display this coming week on the MHSAA.tv website.

Haslett High School’s SBP students will be streaming live coverage of a wrestling dual with Lansing Waverly on Wednesday (Jan. 7) at 6 p.m. and a bowling match with East Lansing on Thursday (Jan. 8) at 3:30 p.m. That’s in addition to a boys basketball game Tuesday (Jan. 6) against Ionia and a girls basketball contest next Tuesday (Jan. 13) with Williamston.

On Saturday (Jan. 10), Montrose will live stream a bowling match with Byron at 2 p.m. Montrose, the SBP Program of the Year in 2013-14, also has a boys basketball varsity stream with Corunna on Tuesday, and a girls-boys hoop deuce with Mount Morris on Friday (Jan. 9).

Mason High School is planning coverage of a girls gymnastics meet on Wednesday with East Lansing at 6:30 p.m., which will be shown On Demand following the event.

The School Broadcast Program gives members an opportunity to showcase excellence in their schools by creating video programming of athletic and non-athletic events with students gaining skills in announcing, camera operation, directing/producing and graphics. The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions.

Here’s the schedule of School Broadcast Program members planning to cover varsity competition this week for broadcast at MHSAA.tv  (As of Jan. 5). The following events will have live streaming video unless otherwise indicated:

Wednesday – January 7

Wrestling – Lansing Waverly at Haslett, 6 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Bay City All Saints at Pinconning, 7:30 p.m. 

Thursday – January 8

Bowling – East Lansing at Haslett, 3:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Pellston at Mancelona, 7 p.m. 

Friday – January 9

Girls Basketball – Mt. Morris at Montrose, 5:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Coopersville at Comstock Park, 6 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Mt. Morris at Montrose, 7 p.m.
Ice Hockey – Novi at Calumet, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Hale at AuGres-Sims, 7:15 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Coopersville at Comstock Park, 7:30 p.m. 

Saturday – January 10

Girls Competitive Cheer – Comstock Park Invitational, 1 p.m.
Bowling – Byron at Montrose, 2 p.m.
Ice Hockey – Detroit Catholic Central at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood, 5:30 p.m.
Ice Hockey – Brighton at Calumet, 7 p.m. 

Monday – January 12

Boys Basketball – Lincoln Alcona at Hillman, 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Ontonagon at Calumet, 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Atlanta at AuGres-Sims, 7:15 p.m.

Tuesday – January 13

Girls Basketball – Williamston at Haslett, 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Onaway at Mancelona, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Parchment at Plainwell, 7:15 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Goodrich at Montrose, 7:20 p.m.

Live stats of select basketball games are also available on MHSAA.tv. Check out the MHSAA.tv website on game night to see which schools are streaming live stats, or stop by to view stats following games on an On Demand basis.

All sporting events – live or delayed - are available on MHSAA.tv on a subscription basis for their first 72 hours online. A portion of each subscription is returned to the school originating the broadcast. Subscriptions run either $9.95 for a Day Pass, or $14.95 for a Month Pass. Some schools also offer Annual Passes at a discounted rate. All sporting events become available for free On Demand viewing three days after they have been posted.

To view all of the recent School Broadcast Program productions, go to MHSAA.tv, click On Demand on the nav bar of the left side of the page, and on the Filters tab at the top of next page, click on All States and then select Michigan. 

Schools interested in becoming a part of the School Broadcast Program should contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office.