Let's Play 2 (or 3, or 4)
February 16, 2012
A few conversations I had at last week's Women In Sports Leadership conference further affirmed a point I've been making for years -- high school athletes, if they'd like, shouldn't hesitate to play multiple sports.
Doing so does not hurt, but might just help their chances at landing that prized college scholarship -- on top of adding another layer to the high school sports experience.
Reaffirming this for me last week was Michigan State softball coach Jacquie Joseph, who spoke on that subject at the WISL conference. She's heading into her 24th season as a head coach at the Division I college level -- so she's been around for some of the evolution of both high school sports specialization and college recruiting. Plus, she coaches a sport that sees its share of athletes playing just that one.
Later, I spoke with a high school coach who leads teams in three sports and also played one at the Division I college level. She's a believer in this as well.
Some of the things I've been told over the years about playing more than one sport:
- It allows an athlete to learn more skills and hone more parts of his or her athleticism.
- Using another range of movement further helps condition an athlete's body and make it more resistant to injury.
- It's hardly rare to see a college football coach watching a prospect's basketball game -- coaches like to see how athleticism transfers across sports, and sometimes will see something from an athlete playing basketball that he didn't show on the football field. (Football and basketball are used in this example, but the same applies to a number of similar situations.)
- Athletes get an opportunity to play whatever they'd like only this once (unless they turn out to be that rare college athlete who takes on more than one sport at that level).
These are hardly new arguments. But they are always worth repeating -- especially when the people frequently making them (college coaches) are the ones single-sport athletes often are trying to impress.
2021-22 Broadcasts Kick Off with Big Football Weekend
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 24, 2021
Michigan High School Athletic Association member schools will be featured on more than 300 live-streamed broadcasts during this first full week of the 2021-22 school sports year, headlined by 16 broadcasts of opening-weekend football games on MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network and partner Bally Sports Detroit.
Bally Sports Detroit will be providing coverage of all six games of the Xenith Prep Kick Off Classic from Oct. 26-28 at Wayne State University’s Tom Adams Field, including both Aug. 26 games on live cable television. All six Xenith games also will be available on the Bally Sports Detroit website and Bally Sports app.
Meanwhile, MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network will have live coverage of all six games from the Battle at the Big House at University of Michigan and all four games from the Vehicle City Gridiron Classic at Kettering University’s Atwood Stadium.
Here’s the schedule, with links to watch those games online:
Thursday, Aug. 26
► Battle at the Big House: Lapeer vs. Grand Rapids Catholic Central – 12 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
► Battle at the Big House: Midland vs. Traverse City West – 3 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
► Xenith Prep Kick Off Classic: Dearborn Fordson vs. Canton – 4 p.m. – Bally Sports Detroit (also LIVE TV)
► Vehicle City Gridiron Classic: Frankenmuth vs. Goodrich – 4 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
► Battle at the Big House: DeWitt vs. Traverse City Central – 7 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
► Xenith Prep Kick Off Classic: Detroit Catholic Central vs. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley – 7 p.m. – Bally Sports Detroit (also LIVE TV)
► Vehicle City Gridiron Classic: Flushing vs. Flint Powers Catholic – 7:30 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
Friday, Aug. 27
► Battle at the Big House: Midland Dow vs. Fenton – 12 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
► Battle at the Big House: Saline vs. Hudsonville – 3:30 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
► Vehicle City Gridiron Classic: East Lansing vs. Grand Blanc – 4 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
► Xenith Prep Kick Off Classic: Dexter vs. Birmingham Groves – 4 p.m. – MHSAA.tv (also available on BallySports.com/Detroit)
► Battle at the Big House: Clarkston vs. Davison – 7 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
► Xenith Prep Kick Off Classic: Chicago St. Patrick (Ill.) vs. Warren De La Salle Collegiate – 7 p.m. – MHSAA.tv (also available on BallySports.com/Detroit)
► Vehicle City Gridiron Classic: Pontiac Notre Dame Prep vs. Linden – 7:30 p.m. – MHSAA.tv
Saturday, Aug. 28
► Xenith Prep Kick Off Classic: River Rouge vs. Eastpointe – 1 p.m. – MHSAA.tv (also available on BallySports.com/Detroit)
► Xenith Prep Kick Off Classic: Southfield Arts & Technology vs. Detroit Cass Tech – 4 p.m. – MHSAA.tv (also available on BallySports.com/Detroit)
Total, more than 150 varsity football games, more than 100 varsity volleyball matches and nearly 90 varsity boys soccer contests will be available this week on MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network, with production by participants in the School Broadcast Program. More than 400 MHSAA member schools are participants in the School Broadcast Program, now in its 13th year, producing games using traditional hands-on student crews or via Pixellot cameras installed at stadiums and gymnasiums across the state. Click for a complete list of upcoming events.
Other intriguing football matchups appearing on the Network include (all 7 p.m. starts):
► Aug. 26: Sterling Heights Stevenson at Rockford
► Aug. 26: Saginaw Swan Valley at Cedar Springs
► Aug. 26: Utica Eisenhower at Lake Orion
► Aug. 26: Alpena at Marquette
► Aug. 26: Edwardsburg at Montague
► Aug. 27: Clarkston Everest Collegiate at Montrose
NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $10.99 a month. Subscribers have access to all live video and streaming statistics across the country. School Broadcast Program participants benefit as a portion of every subscription sold by a school goes to benefit its program. A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA Website.