Logo

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.

Winter Finals TV Announced

February 11, 2015

By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director

Five weekends of coverage of MHSAA Winter Championships will be featured beginning next week on the MHSAA.tv website.

The schedule begins Feb. 20-21 in Marquette with live video streaming from the Upper Peninsula Swimming and Diving Championships, and concludes on March 28 with live coverage of postgame awards and press conferences plus on-court halftime activities at the Boys Basketball Finals.  

Here’s the complete schedule:

  • Feb. 20-21 – Upper Peninsula Swimming & Diving Finals - Marquette
  • Feb. 27-28 – Team Dual Wrestling Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals – Battle Creek
  • March 5-7 – Individual Wrestling Finals – Auburn Hills
  • March 6-7 – Girls Competitive Cheer Finals – Grand Rapids
  • March 12-14 – Ice Hockey Semifinals and Finals – Plymouth
  • March 13-14 – Girls Gymnastics Finals – Rockford
  • March 14 – Lower Peninsula Boys Swimming & Diving Finals – Holland, Rochester, Ypsilanti
  • March 19-20 – Girls Basketball Semifinals and Postgame Press Conferences – East Lansing
  • March 20 – Postgame Awards and Press Conferences; Halftime Shooter’s Challenges; Women In Sports Leadership Award and Miss Basketball Award presentations at Girls Basketball Finals – East Lansing
  • March 26-27 – Boys Basketball Semifinals and Postgame Press Conferences – East Lansing
  • March 28 – Postgame Awards and Press Conferences; Halftime Shooter’s Challenges; Scholar-Athlete Award, Charles E. Forsythe Award and Mr. Basketball Award presentations at Boys Basketball Finals – East Lansing

All game coverage is live on MHSAA.tv on a subscription basis. All events become available for free On-Demand viewing 72 hours after the conclusion of each game. All of the awards, press conferences and on-court presentations at the Basketball Finals will be live and available at no charge. 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, for example, would allow viewing through the Boys Basketball Semifinals.

It’s also another busy week for School Broadcast Program members, which will have cameras at more than 40 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 over the next week for broadcast at MHSAA.tv. The following events will have live streaming video unless otherwise indicated:

Wednesday, February 11
Boys Basketball – Central Lake at Onaway, 7 p.m.
Wrestling – Division 2 District Semifinal, Wayland vs. Plainwell, 6 p.m.
Wrestling – Division 2 District Final, Wayland/Plainwell vs. Byron Center, 7 p.m.

Thursday, February 12
Girls Basketball – Atlanta at AuGres-Sims, 6 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Lincoln Alcona at Hillman, 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Dryden at Montrose, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Whittemore-Prescott at Rogers City, 7 p.m. (VOD)

Friday, February 13
Ice Hockey – Green Bay (WI) Notre Dame vs. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood @ MIHL Showcase, 6 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Belding at Comstock Park, 6 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Flint Southwestern at Davison, 6 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Holt at East Lansing, 6 p.m. (VOD)
Boys Basketball – DeWitt at Haslett, 6 p.m. (HD)
Boys Basketball – Engadine at Newberry, 6 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Three Rivers at Plainwell, 6 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Edwardsburg at Dowagiac, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Rogers City at Posen, 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Three Rivers at Plainwell, 7:15 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Belding at Comstock Park, 7:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Flint Southwestern at Davison, 7:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Holt at East Lansing, 7:30 p.m. (VOD)
Girls Basketball – DeWitt at Haslett, 7:30 p.m. (HD)

Saturday, February 14
Ice Hockey – Rochester vs. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood @ MIHL Showcase, 4:40 p.m.

Monday, February 16
Girls Basketball – Houghton at Calumet, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – AuGres-Sims at Posen, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, February 17
Boys Basketball – L’Anse at Calumet, 7 p.m.
Ice Hockey – Houghton at Calumet, 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Grand Rapids Covenant Christian at Comstock Park, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Ann Arbor Huron at Haslett, 7 p.m. (HD)
Boys Basketball – Mio at Rogers City, 7 p.m. (VOD)
Boys Basketball – Posen at AuGres-Sims, 7:15 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Coloma at Plainwell, 7:15 p.m.

Live stats of select basketball games also are 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 the school originating the broadcast. Video subscriptions run $9.95 for a Day Pass and $14.95 for a Month Pass. Some schools also are offering 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. 

Also available below is an SBP highlights package from the past week, including a 53-50 victory by Plainwell over Mattawan in a boys basketball contest, plus a 53-36 win for Calumet vs. Hancock in girls basketball.

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