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Football Follies

October 7, 2014

Notice reached the MHSAA office of a so-called “2014 Michigan Youth Football Classic” that invites youth league teams to “a great weekend of youth tackle football.” For $450 per team, youth football teams will bang bodies for two days – Nov. 8 and 9 – with each team guaranteed at least three games. Three!

No level of football but this – for the youngest players who have the most vulnerable skulls – allows the idiocy of three games in a weekend. Most limit competition to a maximum of one game in a week!

In my opinion, this isn’t a football classic. It’s child abuse.

I wish the foolishness would stop there, but even an organization called USA Football seems to have lost its head. Initially and mostly with funding from the NFL, USA Football was focused on teaching youth football coaches and players safe blocking and tackling techniques. Good.

But now this pseudo-national governing body for amateur football is planning events for various age groups that will extend tackle football practices and games throughout what used to be an off-season. Multiple competitions in tackle football are scheduled for high school age players in January, February and July of 2015.

At a time when professional, college, school and Pop Warner football are all reducing contact during practices in-season, USA Football wants to expand the contact experience out of season. It makes about as much sense as three games in a weekend.

Watch Selection Sunday Online

October 25, 2015

By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director

High school football fans unable to watch tonight’s announcement of the qualifiers and pairings for the 2015 MHSAA Football Playoffs – presented by the Michigan Army National Guard – on cable or satellite via FOX Sports Detroit, can tune in live at 7 p.m. on their computer or handheld devices and follow these instructions:

On Your Desktop/Laptop Computer

  • Go to FOXSportsGo.com
  • Click on the “All Chs” menu at the bottom left of the page
  • Select “FOX Sports Go Extras”
  • Scroll to “MHSAA Football Selection Sunday” and enjoy the show 

On Your Handheld Device

  1. Download the free FOX Sports Go app from your store
  2. Click on the “All Channels” menu at the top of the app
  3. Select “FOX Sports Go Extras”
  4. Scroll to “MHSAA Football Selection Sunday” and enjoy the show

FOX Sports Detroit also will be the home for four live streaming games each week of the playoffs on the FOXSportsDetroit.com website and will carry all nine championship games from Detroit. The 8-Player Final on Nov. 20 and the Division 4 11-Player Final on Nov. 27 will be shown on a delayed basis, but shown live on FOXSportsDetroit.com; all other Finals will be live on FOX Sports Detroit.