Students watch ESPN, looking up to their sports idols, dreaming of the day they can be as successful as those televised athletes. Soon, high school varsity athletes may be able to experience the same feeling of accomplishment that college and professional ones do. They may soon be on television.
La Ley Sports, a South Florida company that works with charter and private schools, has expressed interest in filming and transmitting public high school varsity sports, though specific sports have not yet been negotiated, through to television. Miami-Dade School Board member Raquel Regalado first suggested this idea.
“It’s a great opportunity that our children in public schools are missing out on,” Regalado said to the Miami Herald.
Many students, such as freshman Robert Ehlies, feel that televising sports could provide good opportunities for the athletes and their families.
“I think high school athletes should be televised so they can know what it’s like to be on television,” Ehlies said.
Another benefit that has arisen is the ability for friends and family to watch the games even if they cannot physically attend.
“A lot of times I have [lacrosse] practice and homework, so it’s hard to get to games,” senior Gillian Clark said. “If they televised it, I could watch while doing homework. I would definitely do that.”
Athletics Director Yvette McKinney, on the other hand, fears that this new policy could have adverse effects. While more people may be able to watch the game, less may actually attend.
“It is different with the Miami Heat where arenas are sold out and there are season ticket holders,” McKinney said. “This will take away from our ticket sales.”
However, even if ticket sales decrease, schools may not suffer financially in the deal. La Ley is going to film and transmit the games at its own expense and athletic programs may benefit from advertising during their games.
“I’m sure La Ley would have to negotiate with the school board about compensating schools if they’re televising games,” McKinney said. “If it’s going to help us financially, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.”
