HS Activities Unite Communities

August 21, 2017

By Bob Gardner, NFHS Executive Director 
and Jack Roberts, MHSAA Executive Director

Tailgates. Pep rallies. Friday night lights. The new school year is here! And that’s exciting news for student-athletes and high school sports fans alike.

Research shows that being a student-athlete is about a lot more than fun and games. It teaches important life lessons, too. In fact, high school athletes not only have higher grade point averages and fewer school absences than non-athletes, they also develop the kind of work habits and self-discipline skills that help them become more responsible and productive community members.

Attending high school sporting events teaches important life lessons, too.   

Among them, it teaches that we can live in different communities, come from different backgrounds, faiths and cultures, cheer for different teams, and still have a common bond.

That’s why attending the activities hosted by your high school this fall is so important. It’s not only an opportunity to cheer for your hometown team, it is also an opportunity to celebrate our commonality. And that’s something our country needs right now.

The bond we share is mutually supporting the teenagers in our respective communities. We applaud their persistence, tenacity, preparation and hard work, regardless of the color of the uniform they wear. We acknowledge that education-based, high school sports are enhancing their lives, and ours, in ways that few other activities could. And we agree that, regardless of what side of the field we sit on, attending a high school sporting event is an uplifting, enriching, family-friendly experience for all of us. 

Many of the high schools in our state lie at the heart of the communities they serve. They not only are educating our next generation of leaders, they also are a place where we congregate, where people from every corner of town and all walks of life come together as one. And at no time is this unity more evident than during a high school athletic event.

This is the beginning of a new school year. Opportunities abound in the classroom and outside it. Let’s make the most of them by attending as many athletic events at the high school in our community as possible.  

Turn on the lights, and let the games begin!

The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is one of 51 members of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

This Week In High School Sports: 3/22/22

By Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties

March 22, 2022

Our final edition of the 2021-22 school year highlights this past weekend's Girls Basketball Finals at Michigan State's Breslin Center.
MI Student Aid

The 5-minute program each week includes feature stories from around the state from the MHSAA’s Second Half or network affiliates, along with "Be The Referee," a 60-second look at the fine art of officiating.

"This Week in High School Sports" is powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury.

Listen to this week's show by Clicking Here.

Previous editions

March 15: Hockey, Gymnastics, LP Boys Swimming & Diving Finals in review Listen
March 8: Individual Wrestling, Competitive Cheer, Bowling Finals in review Listen
March 2: Team Wrestling, Skiing Finals in review Listen
Feb. 22: Battle of the Fans X champion, national honors for Michigan ADs Listen
Feb. 15: High-scoring Liedel family, second-generation standouts at Hartland Listen
Feb. 8: Winter postseason schedule, Fowler/Portland St. Patrick girls hoops rivalry Listen
Feb. 1: Michigan Power Ratings, remembering Jackson's Charles Janke Listen
Jan. 25:
Michigan coaches honored nationally, Port Huron Northern basketball Listen
Jan. 18: Midland Dow girls basketball, retiring coaches on all-time wins lists Listen
Jan. 11: Battle of the Fans X "Challenge Round," officiating on the islands Listen
Jan. 4: Onsted boys basketball, Oxford Strong Listen
Dec. 15:
Winter championship calendar, KLAA/MIHL Memorial Showcase Listen
Dec. 8:
2021 Bush Award honorees, remembering Tom Rashid Listen
Dec. 1: 11-Player Football Finals review Listen
Nov. 23: Volleyball, LP Girls Swimming & Diving, 8-Player Football Finals review Listen
Nov. 16:
Lower Peninsula Cross Country continued, weekend preview Listen
Nov. 9: Lower Peninsula Cross Country, Boys Soccer Finals review Listen
Nov. 2: Title IX at 50 celebration, Fall championship broadcasts Listen
Oct. 27: Upper Peninsula Cross Country Finals review, soccer/volleyball playoff update Listen
Oct. 20: Lower Peninsula Girls Golf & Boys Tennis Finals review Listen
Oct. 13: Middle school/junior high cross country Regionals, football playoff selection Listen
Oct. 6: Upper Peninsula girls tennis champions, football broadcast update Listen
Sept. 29: Girls swimming & diving "Meet of Champions," Schoolcraft's star kicker  Listen
Sept. 22:
Spartan Invitational "elite" races, John U. Bacon's "Let Them Lead"  Listen
Sept. 15:
Volleyball powers face off, Tiger Teusink's tennis legacy Listen
Sept. 8:
Fall sports rules changes, Adrian Lenawee Christian inspiration – Listen
Sept. 1: 
Boys soccer seeding process, Beaver Island athletics – Listen
Aug. 25:
 Return of Fall sports, “enhanced strength-of-schedule” football playoff format – Listen