From team practice to big game days, sports offer high school and college students the rare opportunity to engage with face-to-face interactions. This was already true before Covid-19. Gen-Zers were born into an age dominated by screens and digital socialization, so sports are a window to some much-needed physical proximity and collaboration. So, it’s no wonder that sports are one of the activities that students have missed the most during their year of studying at home.

Plenty of high schools across North America have been keeping their sports traditions alive during the pandemic by the means of virtual practices or live streamed matches. Broadcasting services for schools have been popping up in the past months.

Some schools have been very creative and learned how to stream via Periscope, YouTube or Facebook, with students or teachers often setting up their own phone cameras to offer the virtual spectators the best possible view, considering the circumstances.

It might seem that live streams will stay as the preferred alternative to engage with sports activities until the Covid-related restrictions are completely lifted. But once this happens, high schools and colleges should not be eager to dismiss them completely, since live streaming offers a completely new way to experience sports.

Imagine play-by-play and analysis given by former teammates or fellow classmates. The chance to rewatch the matches as many times as possible. Footage availability to improve certain plays or overall trainings. All of this is possible with an in-house network –which is surprisingly easy to build considering the technology that is ready and available. With a couple of cameras, local teams can execute a powerful OTT and Video on Demand service to allow seamless live stream experiences.

Plus, user engagement can further amplify the virtual experience via gamified interactions or live reactions. If there was ever an opportunity to take advantage of high school creativity, this is definitely one of the best.