Live streaming has taken over the world of Texas high school football.
There are some who would like to see that world include live television broadcasts on Friday nights.
The University Interscholastic League voted in 2021 to allow Friday night broadcasts for Texas high school football games, but only for webcasts that were streamed over the Internet. Other live telecasts, including over-the-air broadcasts, were prohibited during the regular season, except for a Bally Sports Southwest telecast of one game the first week of the season.
On Tuesday, Bally Sports Southwest executive producer Jason Walsh asked the UIL to change its rules so that games could be televised live on a weekly basis on Friday nights.
“Six years ago, you allowed us to air a high school football game on Friday night the first week of the season,” Walsh said. “I’m asking to allow us to broadcast a game of the week during the entire season on Friday nights.
“We are available to the whole state of Texas, but we are not allowed to air a high school football game on Friday outside the first Friday night. But if we streamed the game digitally, we could air a game.”
The UIL Legislative Council said it will study the proposal but did not take any further action.
Currently, football games can be televised during the regular season on Friday nights, but only on a tape-delayed basis. A live telecast of any kind can take place on any other day of the week.
Walsh did not ask for exclusive rights to a game each Friday. He wants it to be an option across the state.
“It’s not just about us,” he said. “It’s about the entire state. It would be unfair for us to ask for exclusivity on one game when there are 500 to 600 games on a Friday night. The world is changing, and we would like the same permissions granted to digital.”
Bally Sports Southwest and Bally Sports Southwest Extra channels have live television broadcasts of all of the UIL state championship games. Per UIL rules, a football game that takes place on any day during the playoffs may only be telecast live with permission from the UIL Media Department and Bally Sports Southwest. Bally Sports Southwest may sub-license its rights to broadcast stations in markets across Texas interested in televising playoff games either live or tape-delayed.
During the pandemic in 2020, the UIL temporarily allowed live telecasts of regular-season games, lifting a ban that had long been in place. Games were available through formats such as NFHS Network, YouTube, Sportsgram Network, GameOn Sports Production, Mascot Media, VYPE Media, Stretch Internet, MuscoVision and local radio stations.
Rockwall boys and girls volleyball coach Travis Ferguson wants the UIL to add boys volleyball as a sanctioned sport that would compete in the spring. He had a good reason why.
“According to the NFHS, high school boys volleyball is currently the fastest growing high school sport in the country,” he said. “It’s also growing at every collegiate division.”
Ferguson is the president of the Texas Boys High School Volleyball League, and he said his organization grew from 24 to 37 teams this year, with all but one of those teams residing in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas. Next year, the league expects to double its participation numbers and plans to expand to El Paso, San Antonio, Austin and Lubbock.
The UIL said it will study the proposal, leaving open the door for its inclusion at some point down the road.
The UIL also said it will study a proposal to increase the number of tennis players who advance from regionals to state from two to three. Bobby Kleinecke from the Texas Tennis Coaches Association said over 90% of his organization in favor of the proposal, and it would eliminate the need for playback matches that determine the second state tournament qualifier currently.
“Tennis hasn’t had an increase since 1974, when we went from one to two [state] qualifiers,” Kleinecke said. “The state tournament would greatly increase in the level of play. I would bet that if this does pass, there would be a third-place [qualifier] that either gets to the final or wins the state championship.”
There were some pretty wild proposals presented to the UIL Legislative Council. Here are some that the UIL rejected.
— A proposal to prohibit cheerleaders at basketball games.
— A proposal to allow boys to participate on the girls volleyball team.
— A proposal to prohibit coaches from coaching their own child at the school.
— A proposal to prohibit all athletic activities during the month of July.
Other proposals that were rejected:
— A proposal to add table tennis as a UIL sanctioned activity.
— A proposal to add a 3-meter diving event for the state championships.
— A proposal to add girls lacrosse as a UIL pilot program for the spring of 2024.
— A proposal to allow coaches to coach 7-on-7 leagues in the summer.
On Twitter: @DMNGregRiddle
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