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.

Don't Miss Out on MHSAA.tv

February 5, 2013

Four sports. Twenty-three games. All played last week, broadcast by local schools and available now on MHSAA.tv. 

Find these events by scrolling through the "On Demand" section at the bottom of the MHSAA.tv page.

  • DeTour vs. Rogers City girls basketball
  • Mason vs. Lansing Waverly girls basketball
  • St. Ignace vs. Rogers City girls basketball
  • Atlanta vs. AuGres-Sims girls basketball
  • Mancelona vs. Onaway girls basketball
  • Calumet vs. Hancock girls basketball
  • Tawas vs. Lincoln-Alcona girls basketball
  • Sault Ste. Marie vs. Cheboygan girls basketball
  • Boyne City vs. Charlevoix boys basektball
  • Mason vs. Lansing Waverly boys basektball
  • Davison vs. Flint Powers boys basketball
  • Gaylord St. Mary vs. Onaway boys basketball
  • Montrose vs. Flint International boys basketball
  • Calumet vs. Baraga boys basketball
  • East Kentwood vs. Hudsonville boys basketball
  • Boyne City vs. Cheboygan boys basketball
  • Mason vs. Jackson Lumen Christi boys basketball
  • Calumet vs. Houghton hockey
  • Detroit Catholic Central vs. Trenton hockey
  • Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood vs. Port Huron Northern hockey
  • Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood vs. Detroit U-D Jesuit hockey
  • Livonia Stevenson vs. Detroit Catholic Central hockey
  • Sparta vs. Comstock Park wrestling

    MHSAA Perspective: This week's edition talks about the the MHSAA's continued efforts in health matters affecting high school athletics A Healthy Task

    MHSAA.tv highlights: This week's package features clips from the Detroit Catholic Central/Trenton ice hockey, Charlevoix/Boyne City boys basketball and DeTour/Rogers City girls basketball games.