OHSAA allowing host schools to televise and stream live football games

I hope this is a long term thing
Me too. For all possible sports too.
I don't see how you'd be able to go back. Can't put toothpaste back in the tube.

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Thanks to sportsvoice for sharing this hot-off-the-press news in another thread. But decided to make a new one, because you'd have to be in that prior one to know the conversation was in that direction.
I've been wanting this for a long time, and thrilled to see the OHSAA loosening their grip.

Friday Night Football Live Video Permission Goes to Host Schools for 2020 Season
Schools are encouraged to seek revenue from partners for live video of Friday night football games

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors has accepted a proposal from OHSAA staff that now allows schools to seek rights fees from local media outlets or video production companies to provide live video of their home regular-season Friday night football games during the 2020 season.

Since the mid-1990s, live video of Friday night regular-season football games has only been permitted by the host school on the school-owned TV station or website or the school-controlled webpage, leaving media to show Friday night games only on delay. At the time, that regulation was added at the request of a majority of OHSAA member schools to protect ticket revenue from their home games and have a statewide policy.

While continuing to provide their own live video, a growing number of schools have asked to partner with third-party sources to generate revenue from rights fees and pay-per-view of their Friday night home football games due to decreased crowd sizes that are expected this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic. Schools are already permitted to do that for all other regular-season contest in any sport, and regular-season football games that are not played on Friday.

“We believe that many of our schools will be able to work with partners to stream and televise their home regular-season football games,” said Bob Goldring, OHSAA Interim Executive Director. “Most of our schools rely on revenue from their home football games to help fund their athletic department, so this is one way that schools can still do that while facing limited ticket sales."

Spectrum News 1 is the official TV partner of the OHSAA. As the home of the OHSAA, Spectrum will resume its Friday Night Game of the Week and Scholar-Athlete program when the fall season begins.

Of note, live video of any OHSAA postseason tournament contest is still only permitted by the official TV partner of the OHSAA or with OHSAA approval.

As always, the host school controls media access and seating in the press box. Due to the pandemic, some schools will limit the number of people in the press box. For postseason games, host facilities are asked to follow the OHSAA’s press box priority seating guidelines, posted at: https://www.ohsaa.org/Portals/0/Sports/Football/FBMediaPressBoxMemo.pdf

Section 2 (television) and Section 4 (streaming) of the OHSAA media regulations will be updated to reflect the change for 2020 for Friday night regular-season football games. The OHSAA and Board of Directors will reevaluate the regulation prior to the 2021 season.

when / how did the OHSAA get to own the rights in the first place? The OHSAA provides nothing except the amateur zebras and any school could find 6 amateur zebras on any street corner and train them up In fact the Schools could get students to do it.

The schools and taxpayers pay for everything: supporting the talent from age of 4 or 5, maintaining the school districts, stadiums, all expenses incurred to produce the show.

That is the real story here. How in God's name did the OHSAA trick the public and the School Districts into thinking the OHSAA owned the product being marketed ?
 
when / how did the OHSAA get to own the rights in the first place? The OHSAA provides nothing except the amateur zebras and any school could find 6 amateur zebras on any street corner and train them up In fact the Schools could get students to do it.

The schools and taxpayers pay for everything: supporting the talent from age of 4 or 5, maintaining the school districts, stadiums, all expenses incurred to produce the show.

That is the real story here. How in God's name did the OHSAA trick the public and the School Districts into thinking the OHSAA owned the product being marketed ?

3 words

Catastrophic injury insurance.

The cost for the schools themselves to pay for major, life altering injuries would put them under. There would be no sports.

The OHSAA provides for them.

That's just one example.
 
3 words

Catastrophic injury insurance.

The cost for the schools themselves to pay for major, life altering injuries would put them under. There would be no sports.

The OHSAA provides for them.

That's just one example.

I appreciate your input, however, I don't know that it fully explains why or how the OHSAA was or is legally empowered to claim all rights to broadcast of games in either of the big advertising revenue sports across the entire state (boys football and boys basketball) for all media and for the entire seasons.

It seems to me that catastrophic insurance is a small percentage of the total cost of putting on these shows, dwarfed by support of the student athletes, from birth until the student athlete walks onto the field on friday night or basketball court which is born by the parents and school districts to include providing the venues the contests are held in.

While I have not obtained a copy of the insurance policies provided, a summary is available at OHSAA.org https://ohsaaweb.blob.core.windows.net/files/SchoolResources/catinsurance-memberschools.pdf

catastrophic ins ohsaa.png


I haven't read the policy and therefore don't know how the term "covered accident" is defined however I do note that the policy carries a $25K deductible and covers ONLY claims NOT payable by other valid and collectible insurance, meaning that the parent's healthcare policy is the main source of coverage.

I also note that the largest lump sum payout is for three injuries: paralysis, coma, or brain death. Does this include death of the participant? No it does not, accidental death is a $25K payout.

You would have to demonstrate how this coverage justifies the OHSAA having claim to all media revenue generated, for me to agree with you. Specifically, the cost of the policy to the OHSAA AND the total payouts from the coverage.

good luck finding that information out. the OHSAA isn't subject to public records law.
 
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Most organized leagues and such have a sanctioning body.

we aren't talking about leagues. the OHSAA role in putting on the show is to provide game officials and nothing else as far as producing the entertainment value being provided by the unpaid minor student athletes.

all other costs are born by the parents and school districts.
 
3 words

Catastrophic injury insurance.

The cost for the schools themselves to pay for major, life altering injuries would put them under. There would be no sports.

The OHSAA provides for them.

That's just one example.

No, the cost of these policies would absolutely not put them under. Sports Accident Insurance policies are very cheap AND most organizations select them as "excess"..meaning that the injured party's primary health insurance policy will respond first. Each sport has a different rate based on number of participants. For example, a policy that includes the above mentioned "$25,000 Accidental Death..etc" for a HS basketball team is roughly $10 per player.
 
No, the cost of these policies would absolutely not put them under. Sports Accident Insurance policies are very cheap AND most organizations select them as "excess"..meaning that the injured party's primary health insurance policy will respond first. Each sport has a different rate based on number of participants. For example, a policy that includes the above mentioned "$25,000 Accidental Death..etc" for a HS basketball team is roughly $10 per player.
Catastrophic coverage pays out millions over possible decades of claims. Spinal injuries, brain injuries, etc.

And every state association buys it in bulk for the entire state because one school isn't getting catastrophic coverage for $500/year unless it's hundreds, or even thousands, of schools buying one policy to cover everyone and the cost split up.
 
Catastrophic coverage pays out millions over possible decades of claims. Spinal injuries, brain injuries, etc.

And every state association buys it in bulk for the entire state because one school isn't getting catastrophic coverage for $500/year unless it's hundreds, or even thousands, of schools buying one policy to cover everyone and the cost split up.
please cite the premium paid by OHSAA for catastrophic insurance, and explain how that fact gives the right of OHSAA to control broadcast rights for every participating school in Ohio.
 
Catastrophic coverage pays out millions over possible decades of claims. Spinal injuries, brain injuries, etc.

And every state association buys it in bulk for the entire state because one school isn't getting catastrophic coverage for $500/year unless it's hundreds, or even thousands, of schools buying one policy to cover everyone and the cost split up.

The $10.00 per player is the going rate if a school purchased the insurance themselves for a basketball team. I sell many of these policies every year to different organizations. I'm sure the rate for the OHSAA is discounted since they are buying for all participants.
 
I might be missing the message this thread is making, but Ignatius has been live streaming its home games for years at no cost. I think I read recenty that SIBN has viewers in 180 countries around the world. St. Ed's and St.X also live stream their games at no cost. I'm sure that there are many other schools who do this.
 
OHSAA Media Regulations Commonly Asked Questions"

1. Is live video (streaming and/or television) permitted for high school contests?


Live video (streaming or television) is not permitted for any OHSAA tournament contest (in all sports) unless approved by the OHSAA Executive Director’s Office. Regular-season games other than Friday night football games may be shown live if approved by the host school’s Athletic Director (see additional note below). For regular-season football games, the host school may provide live video if the video will only be shown on the school-owned website or TV channel, or a school-operated webpage. The OHSAA suggests that students are involved in some aspect of the production. For regular-season games, there is no fee due to the OHSAA for video or audio broadcasts, although schools or conferences are permitted to charge a rights fee. For most OHSAA tournament contests, rights fees apply and can be found on the ‘News & Media’ page at OHSAA.org.
 
Television, Section 2. — Live Telecasts

a.) Live telecasts of regular-season high school football games are prohibited on Friday nights unless done so on the school-owned station or approved by the OHSAA. Live telecasts of regular-season football games on other days of the week are permitted pending approval from the host school. Live telecasts of regular-season contests in all other sports on any day are permitted pending approval from the host school.
 
I might be missing the message this thread is making, but Ignatius has been live streaming its home games for years at no cost. I think I read recenty that SIBN has viewers in 180 countries around the world. St. Ed's and St.X also live stream their games at no cost. I'm sure that there are many other schools who do this.
A lot of those private schools live stream on their own web page. Public schools, not so much.
 
we aren't talking about leagues. the OHSAA role in putting on the show is to provide game officials and nothing else as far as producing the entertainment value being provided by the unpaid minor student athletes.

all other costs are born by the parents and school districts.
The OHSAA IS the school districts.
 
I beg to differ with you. no it is not. it's an unincorporated not for profit association of school districts.
Of which they willfully are members and the association agrees not to have live telecast of football games on Friday unless they're student produced.
 
Of which they willfully are members and the association agrees not to have live telecast of football games on Friday unless they're student produced.

because grandpa did it that way isn't necessarily a good reason to do it that way going into the future.
 
because grandpa did it that way isn't necessarily a good reason to do it that way going into the future.
I don't disagree with you. I really would like to have 2021 be an experimental year where we do have live telecasts on Friday night.

IMO, I believe the reason they chose not to allow live broadcasting is that they didn't want mini-colleges playing on TV every Friday night and hurting other schools' in-person attendance. Their fear was that kids/parents may want to go to a school that receives a larger share of the television exposure. If enough players started choosing schools based on exposure, it may tip the balance of football in the state of Ohio.

I believe we have passed that point even without Friday night telecasts. There are destination schools all over Ohio and schools that players flee from. Televising games isn't going to change that. Attendance at schools that struggle will not change drastically if games are televised. The beginning of a season sees a large number of fans coming to the game. After a tough season, I've been to plenty of games where that team struggles to get more than a handful of fans not related to the players, cheerleaders, or band members. It really is sad to watch the stands start to empty right after the halftime band show.

So I say let them broadcast the games. It probably wouldn't hurt the competitive balance of football in the state or attendance at most of the games. They could even choose to limit how many games of a particular team are telecast if they think it will be a problem.
 
when / how did the OHSAA get to own the rights in the first place? The OHSAA provides nothing except the amateur zebras and any school could find 6 amateur zebras on any street corner and train them up In fact the Schools could get students to do it.

A couple things:

1. Most officials put in a ton of time to make only $65 a game.

2. The conferences or schools assign the officials for regular season games.

3. I'd love to see a game officiated by "6 guys off the street" or students

Complete ignorance
 
I don't disagree with you. I really would like to have 2021 be an experimental year where we do have live telecasts on Friday night.

IMO, I believe the reason they chose not to allow live broadcasting is that they didn't want mini-colleges playing on TV every Friday night and hurting other schools' in-person attendance. Their fear was that kids/parents may want to go to a school that receives a larger share of the television exposure. If enough players started choosing schools based on exposure, it may tip the balance of football in the state of Ohio.

I believe we have passed that point even without Friday night telecasts. There are destination schools all over Ohio and schools that players flee from. Televising games isn't going to change that. Attendance at schools that struggle will not change drastically if games are televised. The beginning of a season sees a large number of fans coming to the game. After a tough season, I've been to plenty of games where that team struggles to get more than a handful of fans not related to the players, cheerleaders, or band members. It really is sad to watch the stands start to empty right after the halftime band show.

So I say let them broadcast the games. It probably wouldn't hurt the competitive balance of football in the state or attendance at most of the games. They could even choose to limit how many games of a particular team are telecast if they think it will be a problem.
Um ..

Who died and made OHSAA owner of the broadcast rights? The OHSAA contributes NOTHING to the production of the product.

This isn't the NFL and if anyone should reap any financial benefit of staging the events, including tournaments: it is the producers and funders of the product, not the organization that does nothing but provides the field officials for the games, in my opinion. Someone needs to calculate the total cost of putting a kid on the field in a football uniform, starting with the first day he attends school in kindergarden. The reason why? Because if that kid was not supported by education dollars all the way through, AND if that School District does not have all 13 grades attending school on that Friday: there IS no football team trotting onto the field on Friday night, for local media to feast upon and sell advertising to "sponsor" the broadcast on video, radio or print accounts the next day.

As far as tournament games are concerned: let the lower seeded team host *all games* including finals.. That makes it easy to find sites. When the game is between equal seeds: have a coin toss.

The Hoban Massillon game proved that an inferior team is not going to benefit much from a home field advantage.

Oh and speaking of tournaments: expanding the tournament to 12 teams in each division is absolutely insane. None of the added teams has a ghost of a chance of winning the tournament, and giving the top seeds a bye in week one is idiotic. STUPID.

So they want to make these kids play one extra game for what reason? it's pure exploitation because none of them has a chance to run the table. The poor little #12 seed, beat up from a 10 game schedule, has to limp into and and get carried out of Round 1 on a stretcher, while the top 4 seeds get to sit out week one and get healed up. That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. If anyone should get the bye it should be 9-12 seeds so they have a chance to win in Round 2.

I don't know whose idea that was but he or she should be fired.
 
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Um ..

Who died and made OHSAA owner of the broadcast rights? The OHSAA contributes NOTHING to the production of the product.

This isn't the NFL and if anyone should reap any financial benefit of staging the events, including tournaments: it is the producers and funders of the product, not the organization that does nothing but provides the field officials for the games, in my opinion. Someone needs to calculate the total cost of putting a kid on the field in a football uniform, starting with the first day he attends school in kindergarden. The reason why? Because if that kid was not supported by education dollars all the way through, AND if that School District does not have all 13 grades attending school on that Friday: there IS no football team trotting onto the field on Friday night, for local media to feast upon and sell advertising to "sponsor" the broadcast on video, radio or print accounts the next day.

As far as tournament games are concerned: let the lower seeded team host *all games* including finals.. That makes it easy to find sites. When the game is between equal seeds: have a coin toss.

The Hoban Massillon game proved that an inferior team is not going to benefit much from a home field advantage.

Oh and speaking of tournaments: expanding the tournament to 12 teams in each division is absolutely insane. None of the added teams has a ghost of a chance of winning the tournament, and giving the top seeds a bye in week one is idiotic. STUPID.

So they want to make these kids play one extra game for what reason? it's pure exploitation because none of them has a chance to run the table. The poor little #12 seed, beat up from a 10 game schedule, has to limp into and and get carried out of Round 1 on a stretcher, while the top 4 seeds get to sit out week one and get healed up. That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. If anyone should get the bye it should be 9-12 seeds so they have a chance to win in Round 2.

I don't know whose idea that was but he or she should be fired.
The member schools make up the OHSAA. That's who decided.

The OHSAA covers the catastrophic loss coverage, travel to and from the tournament sites (at least in non-covid years).
 
it was proposed by the coaches association. Not an OHSAA idea. Sorry to burst your hate bubble.
Yeah those idiots don't care how many kids are injured for nothing.

the health and welfare of the kids is the least of their worries.

they're just the meat to be exploited.
 
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