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This story is part of our October 2021 CoSIDA 360 package, to view more stories,
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Full-time Athletics Communicators Adding Value at the High School Level
by Bryan Montgomery – Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, Sports Information Director
Recently, a new branch of the sports information profession has begun to emerge at the high school level. The shift in focus has replaced the role often covered by coaches and athletic directors and lessened the need for conglomerate news services like MaxPreps in lieu of developing their own branded online presence. Schools that have added SIDs have experienced drastic improvements in web visibility, game coverage, streaming capabilities, and social media exposure.
The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is an example of an area where the number of high school sports information offices is drastically rising, resulting in schools integrating in-game stats, fully produced broadcasts and websites that rival those seen at the collegiate level.
UIL Region II-6A Quarterfinal between Jesuit and South Garland at Allen H.S. We broadcast this game live, which became a great benefit because the game sold out. Some of the featured players in this game included Max Abmas (Oral Roberts), Julius Marble (Michigan State) and Gavin Perryman (UT-Austin) on our end, and Tyrese Maxey (Kentucky, Philadelphia 76ers) on South Garland.
The impact of high school sports information professionals has resulted in an increased visibility for a school’s athletic brand. Especially in the DFW metroplex, most high school fans rely on local newspapers to deliver weekly results, stats and news regarding their favorite programs. However, the sheer number of schools in the area make it impossible for each school to have the spotlight in a way that a dedicated sports information director can provide.
“We cover 150 high schools,” commented Greg Riddle, a high school sportswriter and editor for The Dallas Morning News. “We obviously can’t keep up with everybody as well as we’d like to. I think that any school that has their own sports information department, it helps get the message out, promote the kids at their school and shine a light on stories that need to be told.”
James Kramer, a long-time industry veteran who arrived in his current position as the director of communications at Jesuit Dallas in 2013, saw an immediate opportunity. Jesuit was one of the first schools in the country to add a dedicated position, beginning with a part-time hire in 2014 followed by the school’s first full-time SID in 2015.
Winter 2019 signing day, we were on live on ESPN that day for the announcement of EJ Smith, son of Football hall of famer Emmitt Smith.
“Athletics builds community and Jesuit Dallas alumni live across the globe,” shared Kramer. “The development of a sports information office – something so common and practical at the university level – provided a vehicle for engagement with alumni, parents, and friends. Athletics is also a big part of the school’s culture, and a commitment in this area has helped increase visibility for our student-athletes and educate prospective families.”
As expected with an evolving field, there have been some growing pains. Budgetary constraints have challenged even the most financially solvent schools, and historical records are often scant, making it impossible to develop record books and program histories. However, the field itself presents a blank canvas, and the future seems bright as more institutions begin to see the value in the position.
One such example in the Metroplex is Matthew Wixon, a 25-year veteran of the newspaper industry who is now the Facilitator of Athletic Communications at Frisco Independent School District. Wixon’s current coverage footprint includes 11 high schools, each of which sponsor approximately 15 sports. The sheer amount of coverage seems overwhelming, but Wixon embraces the freedom and alternative workflow that the high school space provides.
“Frisco ISD never had anyone sports-minded doing communications when I came into this job,” Wixon said. “When I came in, the administration basically said to make this job what you think it should be, which sounds great, and is in a lot of ways, but you don’t want to bite off more than you chew. With this trend coming to the high school level, a lot of new SIDs are going to be following in the same footsteps that we’ve experienced where there’s not really any path to follow. It’s all brand new.”
In contrast to Jesuit Dallas, where the sports information office can focus on teams and players in a single school, Wixon and Frisco ISD operates more in line with a conference office, providing general oversight for the vast number of teams under the FISD umbrella.
A more traditional signing day from Fall 2020.
“We have more than 64,000 students in the school district, and it’s continuing to grow, so it’s impossible to really cover any particular school or team, but I try to highlight each sport in the ways that I can.” said Wixon. “I often produce the stories that are of district-wide interest, then rely on coaches to give me the information and stories of their team that they want to get out to their community.”
The field continues to expand, as schools throughout the country add positions at the individual and state level. In Atlanta, Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School Athletic Director Tony Watkins has witnessed the impact of having a sports information director, and the importance of putting an emphasis to further the department.
“We saw a void here, and built an athletics website,” stated Watkins. “The kids love it, and the parents love it. It just creates a great feel because, at the end of the day, my job here is to create the best possible experience for the kids.”
A major catalyst for Watkins’ drive to provide additional support was the challenge presented by the Covid shutdown. Watkins was among many athletic directors that saw the opportunity to step away from automated broadcasts made popular at the high school level by HUDL and the NFHS Network, and focus on increasing the quality of self-produced content.
“I think Covid taught us we have to step our game up,” added Watkins. “With this position, the goal is to create something that’s student-centered to where we’ve got a talented faculty member leading, but give the kids an opportunity to step in, run the equipment, learn, and maybe develop an interest in doing the job moving forward.”
A picture of last year’s broadcast team, which we call the “Jesuit Ranger Sports Network (JRSN).
If you are a high school SID interested in CoSIDA membership, contact Laurie Bollig (lauriebollig@cosida.com). If you are a current CoSIDA member serving as a communications professional at the high school or school district level and want to meet more of your peers, contact Bryan Montgomery (BMontgomery@jesuitcp.org).
About the author: Currently in his sixth season at Jesuit, Bryan Montgomery is responsible for the marketing and promotion of Jesuit's 21 sports programs and for the operation of JesuitRangers.org, Jesuit's official athletics website sponsored by SIDEARM Sports.
Montgomery arrived at Jesuit Dallas from Allegheny College, where he served as assistant sports information director for three years. Prior to Allegheny College, Montgomery worked at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) as the 2011-12 Asa S. Bushnell communications assistant. Montgomery earned his bachelor's degree in history and broadcast communications in 2011 from The College at Brockport before acquiring his master's degree in sports management from West Virginia University in 2014.
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