![]() ![]() ![]() Platforms such as NFHS Network create access for more fans and family in those sparse, rural regions – where high school teams may travel hours to play and spectator travel becomes more challenging. Roughly 70 percent of NFHS Network subscribers watch games from beyond a drivable distance, which means streamed high school sports aren’t poaching the base of teams’ ticket buyers, but rather they’re opening a virtual window to those who can’t be there –Īnd inviting anyone and everyone with a smart device and a subscription to come along for the ride. New and affordable camera tech, combined with the advances of streaming, are allowing more fans to indulge their rooting interests. Over-the-top (OTT) media platforms are airing documentary series featuring high school sports programs. The web and social media have helped create online communities of fans, aficionados and amateur recruiting experts. The primary driver of this effect: technology. ![]() Social media and video highlight clips have transformed our who’s-next curiosity into a phenomenon all its own, complete with programming such as “Titletown High” and “Basketball or Nothing.” Even now, with more high school sports content available to us than ever, we simply can’t get enough. Some 350 million fans attend high school games annually, and many – especially younger fans and fellow athletes – follow high school sports and recruiting sites such as MaxPreps to keep a pulse on the national prep sports and AAU scenes. Mary’s High School on the map – and on ESPN’s airwaves – prep sports have prompted the fan in all of us to keep our antennae up and our various devices plugged in searching for the next big thing. Ever since a teenage LeBron James put St. In Texas, Friday Night Lights aren’t just a thing – they’re the thing, a pigskin religion of sorts.īut while high school sports in many ways continue to be hyper-localized, with family and local fans making up the backbone of die-hard followers, the enterprise on the whole has become big business. In northeast Ohio, football fans have the Cleveland Browns – but they also have the Massillon Tigers, who have been known to sell out their 16,884-capacity stadium. In rural towns across the country, the high school football or basketball team may represent the preferred entertainment of locals. But there is something about high school sports that draws us in like nothing else. We are compelled to participate, discuss, analyze, watch and revel in endless types of athletic competition, across all levels. Americans’ collective thirst for sports is almost unquenchable. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |