TONTOGANY — An investment in technology and student learning lets Otsego sports fans from around the
country watch the school district’s basketball games — and other events — live.
The live streaming of indoor sports is available at through the Otsego website. “Otsego TV” also shows
concerts, D.A.R.E. graduation and commencement, which are archived.
The students involved can complete 80 hours with the athletics department and receive $500 toward higher
education, which could include college or a vocational program, according to Tom Ferdig, athletic
director. The scholarships are funded through the athletics department.
“This all started with a little cart,” said Luke Swartz, technology director for Otsego schools. “It’s
grown into quite a production.”
Ferdig said the $4,000 in equipment includes a headset and “BoxCast” — a handy little tool that lets the
students see what exactly is being broadcast.
Streaming software enables the students to do overlays and put up stats. The live score and clock are
also shown. Sponsors also have spots. Those ads have helped pay for the equipment, Ferdig said.
It all adds up to a very realistic sports broadcasting experience.
Some of the games that are broadcast are junior varsity and varsity basketball games, volleyball and
wrestling.
A lot of times, the student broadcasters are learning on the fly. Student Ryan Dick said he knew nothing
about volleyball and had to brush up on terms — it’s been the same for wrestling.
Other students involved are Brittany Dey, Olivia Jackson, Janelle Moser, Daniel Nixon, Blake Litz and
Will Agan.
They come in about an hour before a game to set up, then go live. Because it’s live, the broadcast takes
some extra prep.
For example, Dick said he’s got a running list of fun facts to talk about, in case there’s a blow out. He
also interviews the coaches ahead of time to get background on players to watch. Dey does an interview
with a “player of the game” to fill in air time.
The students have also collected sounds, such as game show buzzers and applause, and music to patch into
the broadcasts. They’re using their school-issued Chromebooks, too, Ferdig said.
Dick said that the “BoxCast” enables them to see who’s watching the games. One viewer, the parent of a
foreign exchange student at Otsego, was from France. Others have been from all across the country.
Most of the students have no plans to be the next Jim Nantz or Erin Andrews. Nixon, a junior, said he
plans to study medicine, but the scholarship money from the Otsego sports internship will come in handy.

“These kids have been thrown a lot of responsibility,” said Ferdig, who added that they mostly work
independently, broadcasting the games.
“We’re all on our own,” Dey said.
Ferdig said that the opportunity allows students who aren’t athletes to become involved in sports. Otsego
TV is another piece in the district’s culture that encourages student involvement in everything, from
sports to musicals to FFA, he said.
At the end of the 80-hour internship, the students turn in a log and a portfolio of their work. They are
then awarded the $500. Students may also roll over hours and take more than one school year to complete
the internship, Ferdig said.
Last year, the program started with nine students; two dropped out and three filed the proper paperwork
to earn the money, Ferdig said.
The sports broadcasts are not archived, so other coaches or players can’t access them for study, Ferdig
said.
He said no other school in the Northern Buckeye Conference has these student-run broadcasts.
“It’s been a lot of legwork, but everything’s moving seamlessly and the kids enjoy it,” Ferdig said.
For more information or to watch today’s games, visit
https://www.otsegoknights.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=409675&type=d&pREC_ID=893506