Cedarville Magazine, Summer 2017

C edarville University attracts athletes from all over the country. For family members of these athletes, distance can make it difficult to watch their student-athlete compete. Fortunately, since 2011, these parents, grandparents, and other relatives have been able to watch sporting events online, thanks to the Cedarville Sports Production Team. The team is the brainchild of Jim Kragel, Associate Professor of Communications, and comprised entirely of broadcasting and digital media students. Two team members are paid, while others serve as volunteers or work toward class credit. For the last three years, this group has broadcasted more than 60 Cedarville athletic events a season, mainly soccer, basketball, and volleyball, with announcers, replays, and sometimes sideline reporters. Even on a small budget, the Sports Production Team produces an exceptional livestreaming experience. “We have the highest-quality broadcasts of anyone at our level,” said Kragel. During the 2016–2017 season, the entire livestream has been in high definition for the first time, including replays. They also use four or five more cameras than anyone else in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). Through donor gifts, Cedarville University Athletics has supplied equipment and helped expand the team to support the large broadcast schedule. Originally, the team had three or four members. Now, they have between nine and 11. Alan Geist ’83, Cedarville’s Athletic Director, believes livestreaming has been great public relations for Cedarville’s athletic teams and foresees increased sponsorships as more organizations and potential donors see the quality of the broadcasts. However, Geist sees the biggest impact on recruiting. That’s because coaches can tell parents they can watch their son or daughter online, even though they can’t always attend games in person. “We get a lot of emails from family members,” said Geist. “They are thrilled they can watch their loved one play.” Other programs in the G-MAC have taken notice. Geist explained that Cedarville is “known within the conference for livestreaming and livestreaming well. We owe a lot of the quality to Jim and his team.” Kragel emphasized the broadcasts’ excellence has more to do with the abilities of his students than the equipment. Cedarville Magazine | 15