State Associations Broadcast Games on Web

By Cassie Krisher

High school state championships are a treasured experience for fans of any sport. But with high gas prices and busy schedules, not everyone can attend these events in person. Luckily, many state associations now broadcast state championships on their Web sites in audio and video formats.
Anyone around the country can listen to or view these games. Grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, community members and sports fans in general can tune in to see or hear their favorite team vying for victory.

Some state associations broadcast every game of the state tournament in all classes or divisions. Others broadcast regular-season games as well. Most states include basketball because of its high-profile tourney action, but some include sports such as football, soccer, cheer, baseball, softball, and swimming and diving.

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) uses its Webcast site to stream state series games that are not broadcast on television. In most team sports, quarterfinal and semifinal games can be found on the WIAA.tv site. Todd Clark, director of communications for the WIAA, said the site has generated more than 100,000 views.

Of the 23 state associations that use Webcasts, each has different features. Some states have both live viewing during the actual game and archived streaming for fans and participants to relive the game after it is completed. Some states choose to use only live Webcasts, and others choose to have only archived Webcasts.

Another difference is the type of Webcast featured. Most states broadcast some games in audio and others in video, depending on what is available. Some states broadcast audio only, such as Illinois and Oregon. A few states broadcast video only, such as Wisconsin and Indiana.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) started a Webcast service in July 2007 with its radio partner, Emmis Communications. The intent is to provide all sports to all fans without the terrestrial limitations of television broadcasting, said Ira Maher, associate brand manager at IHSAAsports.org. Live coverage of state finals in many sports is available for free, as well as regular-season games for football and boys and girls basketball. The site also provides archived videos of game highlights and interviews with players and coaches. State finals average 5,000-15,000 views per game, Maher said.

Most states' Webcasts are free to the public thanks to helpful sponsors; however, some are based on a pay-per-view basis, much like buying a ticket to the actual event. Pay-per-view Webcasts are typically $5 to $10 per game, but some sites offer a pass for the entire tournament at a discounted price.

The ability to broadcast state championships across the world is the main feature that draws state associations to use Webcasts, but Webcasts also have uses beyond sporting events. Wisconsin uses its site to post public-service announcements and educational videos, such as "Why We Have High School Sports." The WIAA also broadcasts its annual meeting in April live over the Internet and plans to post videos of its rules meetings online for mandatory viewing. This is to help alleviate situations "where extensive travel is involved for coaches and officials," Clark said. In addition, Indiana has plans to develop and post instructional videos from various sports camps this summer, said Maher.

Webcasts are an effective way for state associations to reach out to the community at large. They enable fans to participate in the state series, and regular-season games where available, without physically being there. By using new technology, state associations that use Webcasts are widening the audience not only for state championships, but also for educational content. Coaches and officials may no longer have to travel to attend rules meetings; they could soon be doing that from the comfort of their living room. Most importantly, webcasts are another line of communication that brings state associations closer to the fans and supporters of high school activities.

Cassie Krisher is a spring semester intern in the NFHS Publications/Communications Department. She is a senior at Butler (Indiana) University, majoring in journalism and media arts.