'We're Back': Lakewood Sports Channel Will Again Broadcast Games

LAKEWOOD, OH — The Lakewood Sports Channel took a page out of Michael Jordan's playbook this week, announcing they'd again be broadcasting Lakewood High games with a simple two word press release that said, "We're back."

It's effectively the same press release Jordan faxed to the media when he returned to the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.

The Lakewood City Schools confirmed Wednesday they would again allow live broadcasting of games on YouTube via the Lakewood Sports Channel. The last video from the channel came eight months ago and focused on daily life for Lakewood baseball players.

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The announcement may come as a relief to Lakewood High sports fans who enjoyed watching games from the comfort of their homes. There was concern that broadcasting games would incentivize fans staying home rather than attending contests in person.

"Most of the funding for Lakewood Athletics comes from people attending games. The idea is that we might lose attendance if we keep streaming games. We badly need people to come back," said Vince Frantz, president of the Lakewood Athletic Boosters.

Officials with the Lakewood Sports Channel, including Frantz, believe they've also found a way to keep the games streaming without costing the district attendance.

"We want to get people attending these events involved in broadcasts and give them a cool experience. We want to blend the home and in-person experiences. We want to make it a holistic thing for the program," said on-air talent Grant Graves.

Frantz said they're planning more pregame, halftime, and post-game content that involves the fans in attendance. There will be more interaction between broadcasters and fans. And pretty soon, the broadcasters could be the sons and daughters of the parents in the bleachers.

Graves told Patch the plan is to eventually turn much of the broadcast production over to Lakewood High students. That will give them hands-on experience in audio-visual creation, live streaming and even on-air work.

While students may take over the channel next year, fans will continue to see Graves and others during this season. Moving forward, sponsors will continue to work through the Lakewood Athletic Boosters.

The Lakewood Sports Channel will make its return during the home basketball season. The first boy's varsity home game is against Brush High on Nov. 30. There will be scrimmages before that time.

The first girl's varsity home game is Dec. 1 versus Lutheran East. There will be home scrimmages prior to that contest.