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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.

This Week on MHSAA.TV

October 22, 2014

Just in time for a heavy month of postseason tournament coverage, three month-long subscriptions to MHSAA.tv will be given away this week using the Association’s social media presence.

On Thursday, one winner will be drawn at random at 3 p.m. from Twitter users retweeting information about the giveaway.  On Friday, two winners will be randomly selected at 3 p.m. from an Instagram post asking users to “Share” or “Like” the giveaway on Facebook. Complete details can be found on each platform.

The passes will be good for 30 days, and will allow winners to view more than 125 hours of live MHSAA tournament action in cross country, football, boys soccer, girls swimming & diving, and volleyball, plus other live events across the country on NFHSNetwork.com. A Month Pass sells for $14.95 on the MHSAA.tv

Live coverage on MHSAA.tv of the MHSAA Boys Soccer Tournament continued Tuesday with Regional Semifinal activity at four sites. Four more games are available live tonight:

Div. 1 at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central

Saline v. Grand Haven – 5 p.m.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central v. Okemos  – 7 p.m.

Div. 3 at Clare

Elk Rapids v. Grant – 5 p.m.
Ludington v. Tawas – 7 p.m.

All live games are available on MHSAA.tv on a subscription basis. Subscriptions run either $9.95 for a Day Pass or $14.95 for a Month Pass. Games will become available for free on-demand viewing three days after they have been played.

Subscriptions support individual school programs, and many schools are now offering discounted annual passes through their portal pages, which will also allow for live viewing of nearly 300 live MHSAA postseason tournament events throughout the school year.

Below are highlights cut from last week’s live soccer games, with links to the games in full:

RODRIGUEZ SCORES FOR NORTHVILLE - With 5:39 left in the second half, Johnny Rodriguez lofts a shot over the goalie to give Northville a 1-0 victory over Walled Lake Central.

FIRST SPRING LAKE GOAL - Ryan Zietlow finds the back of the net in the first half of Spring Lake's District Semifinal win over Fruitport. Watch the whole game by Clicking Here.

KEEGAN GEORGE GETS SECOND SPRING LAKE GOAL - Spring Lake scores quickly after a Fruitport goal kick early in the second half on this blast from Keegan George. Watch the whole game by Clicking Here.

HASTINGS GAME WINNER - Caleb Sherwood gets the only goal of the game for Hastings in its District semifinal win over Battle Creek Harper Creek. Watch the whole game by Clicking Here

ETHAN GREEN SCORES - Ethan Green steals the ball from the Battle Creek Central keeper and scores late in Plainwell's win in the District Semifinals. Watch the whole game by Clicking Here.

DEREK SNYDER SCORES - Plainwell scored at will in the last 20 minutes against Battle Creek Central. Derek Snyder scores off a restart to give the Trojans the lead to stay. Watch the whole game by Clicking Here.

ANTHONY POLLACK SCORES FOR FRASER - Anthony Pollack gets the first goal of the game when Fraser met Grosse Pointe South. Watch the whole game by Clicking Here

Following are events from last week now available on-demand:

Soccer

  • Grosse Pointe South vs. Fraser at St. Clair Shores Lakeview
  • Warren DeLaSalle vs. Grosse Pointe North at St. Clair Shores Lakeview
  • Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern vs. Comstock Park at Forest Hills Northern
  • Muskegon Reeths-Puffer vs. Muskegon at Sparta
  • Fruitport vs. Spring Lake at Sparta
  • Battle Creek Harper Creek vs. Hastings at Middleville Thornapple Kellogg
  • Battle Creek Central vs. Plainwell at Middleville Thornapple Kellogg
  • Montrose vs. Corunna at Montrose
  • Grayling vs. Elk Rapids at Grayling
  • Novi vs. Detroit Catholic Central at Novi
  • Walled Lake Central vs. Northville at Novi

Volleyball

  • Mason at Owosso
  • Watervliet at Lawton
  • Holt at East Lansing
  • Oscoda at Lincoln Alcona
  • Rogers City at Hillman
  • Calumet at Negaunee
  • Fairview at Whittemore-Prescott
  • Fife Lake Forest Area at Central Lake
  • Rogers City at Hillman
  • Tawas at Pinconning
  • Montabella at Central Montcalm
  • Pinconning at Whittemore-Prescott
  • L'Anse at Calumet
  • Atlanta at Rogers City
  • East Jordan at Grayling

Football

  • Marquette at Negaunee
  • Flint Beecher at Montrose
  • Mancelona at Central Lake
  • Oscoda at Rogers City
  • Manton at Lincoln Alcona
  • Grand Ledge at East Lansing
  • Brimley at Posen
  • Pickford at Onaway
  • Whittemore-Prescott at Hillman
  • Harrison at Clare
  • Dowagiac at Paw Paw
  • Greenville at Cedar Springs
  • Allendale at Comstock Park
  • Saginaw Heritage at Davison
  • Detroit Consortium at Mason 


Swimming and Diving

  • Grand Ledge at East Lansing

MHSAA.tv Highlights: This week's package includes clips from the Clare/Harrison and Flint Beecher/Montrose football games and Stanton Central Montcalm/Blanchard Montabella volleyball match.