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.
Team Wrestling Live On MHSAA.TV
February 24, 2015
By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director
Two weekends of Wrestling Finals coverage begin on Friday (Feb. 27), when the MHSAA.tv cameras will be at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek for the Team Wrestling Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals.
The Quarterfinals take place on Friday, beginning at 1 p.m., followed by the Semifinals at 9:30 a.m. and Finals at 4 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 28). The events are available on a subscription basis. Video subscriptions run $9.95 for a Day Pass, and $14.95 for a Month Pass.
The purchase of a Month Pass during the Team Wrestling Finals will allow live viewing of the remainder of the Winter tournament schedule: Individual Wrestling Finals (March 5-7), the Girls Competitive Cheer Finals (March 6-7), the Ice Hockey Semifinals and Finals (March 12-14), the Girls Gymnastics Finals (March 13-14), the Lower Peninsula Boys Swimming & Diving Finals (March 14), the Girls Basketball Semifinals (March 19-20) and the Boys Basketball Semifinals (March 26-27). All events become available for free On-Demand viewing 72 hours after their conclusion.
Here’s the complete Team Wrestling Finals schedule for this weekend:
Division 4 Quarterfinals – Feb. 27 – 1 p.m.
New Lothrop v. Cass City
Manchester v. LeRoy Pine River
Hudson v. Norway
Decatur vs. Climax-Scotts/Martin
Division 1 Quarterfinals – Feb. 27 – 3:15 p.m.
Brighton v. Oxford
Detroit Catholic Central v. Davison
Hartland v. Monroe
Anchor Bay v. Grand Haven
Division 3 Quarterfinals – Feb. 27 – 5:30 p.m.
Dundee v. Mason County Central
Saginaw Swan Valley v. Grand Rapids Catholic Central
Remus Chippewa Hills v. Allegan
Richmond v. Birch Run
Division 2 Quarterfinals – Feb. 27 – 7:45 p.m.
Lowell v. Comstock Park
Gaylord v. Flint Kearsley
Niles v. Tecumseh
Eaton Rapids v. Warren Lincoln
Division 4 Semifinals – Feb. 28 – 9:30 a.m.
New Lothrop-Cass City winner v. Manchester-Pine River winner
Hudson-Norway winner v. Decatur-Climax-Scotts winner
Division 1 Semifinals – Feb. 28 – 9:30 a.m.
Brighton-Oxford winner v. Detroit Catholic Central-Davison winner
Hartland-Monroe winner v. Anchor Bay-Grand Haven winner
Division 3 Semifinals – Feb. 28 – 11:45 a.m.
Dundee-Mason County Central winner v. Saginaw Swan Valley-Grand Rapids Catholic Central winner
Remus Chippewa Hills-Allegan winner v. Richmond-Birch Run winner
Division 2 Semifinals – Feb. 28 – 11:45 a.m.
Lowell-Comstock Park winner v. Gaylord-Flint Kearsley winner
Niles-Tecumseh winner v. Eaton Rapids-Warren Lincoln winner
Finals – Feb. 28 – 4 p.m.
Division 1
Division 2
Division 3
Division 4
The regular season is winding down for School Broadcast Program members, which will again have cameras at numerous sporting events.
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 on MHSAA.tv (as of Feb. 23). The following events will have live streaming video unless otherwise indicated:
Tuesday, February 24
Girls Basketball – Saginaw Arts & Sciences at Montrose, 5:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Painesdale-Jeffers at Calumet, 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Posen at Rogers City, 7 p.m. (VOD)
Boys Basketball – Oscoda at AuGres-Sims, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Grand Ledge at East Lansing, 7 p.m. (VOD)
Boys Basketball – Grandville at Rockford, 7 p.m. (VOD)
Boys Basketball – Saginaw Arts & Sciences at Montrose, 7:15 p.m.
Wednesday, February 25
Boys Basketball – Indian River Inland Lakes at Mancelona, 7 p.m.
Ice Hockey – Muskegon Reeths-Puffer at Rockford, 7 p.m. (Video On Demand after game)
Boys Basketball – Pickford at Rogers City, 7 p.m. (VOD)
Thursday, February 26
Girls Basketball – Saginaw Arts & Sciences at AuGres-Sims, 6 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Lake Linden-Hubbell at Calumet, 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Hillman at Posen, 7 p.m.
Ice Hockey – Marquette at Calumet, 7 p.m. (VOD)
Boys Basketball – Saginaw Arts & Sciences at AuGres-Sims, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 27
Boys Basketball – Owosso at Haslett, 6 p.m. (HD)
Boys Basketball – Okemos at East Lansing, 6 p.m. (VOD)
Girls Basketball – Holland West Ottawa at Rockford, 6 p.m. (VOD)
Boys Basketball – Lake Linden-Hubbell at Calumet, 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Gaylord St. Mary’s at Mancelona, 7 p.m. (VOD)
Ice Hockey – Trenton at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood, 7:15 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Owosso at Haslett, 7:30 p.m. (HD)
Girls Basketball – Okemos at East Lansing, 7:30 p.m. (VOD)
Boys Basketball – Holland West Ottawa at Rockford, 7:30 p.m. (VOD)
Tuesday, March 3
Boys Basketball – Wolverine at Posen, 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Houghton at Calumet, 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Midland Bullock Creek at Pinconning, 7:30 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. A Day Pass to view live stats is $1.95.
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 schools originating the broadcast. Video subscriptions run $9.95 for a Day Pass and $14.95 for a Month Pass. Some schools are also offering Annual Passes at a discounted rate.
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.