Putting the real in reality TV for sports

Because I was a scrawny 6’2″, 160lb white kid with no speed and a marginal three-point shot as a high school senior, my dream of playing for the University of Minnesota was a certified longshot.

No way, no how.

It didn’t stop me from practicing that tickle-the-twine jumper for hours on end, but it wasn’t gonna happen, no matter how much I loved basketball.

But through the fantastic program The Journey on the Big Ten Network you and I both get to see what it’s like to be a part of a major college men’s basketball program.

This is my kind of reality TV.

Here’s an excerpt from a recent clip, highlighting the return of Evan Turner to the Ohio State lineup:

I didn’t have access to the BTN when it first started The Journey, or just didn’t see it on the Web, but it is precisely what a rabid college basketball fan in the Big 10 needs – and also includes some similar production elements and compelling behind-the-scenes sights and sounds to what I try to create when I produce a season highlight video for a high school team in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area.

I love the documentary feel to it. It’s compelling to watch. This isn’t just a few highlights set to music. Videos shot with the look and feel of The Journey create and capitalize on the excitement and passion for the team and school. They also humanize the players and coaches, showing them on and off the court in a way that just wasn’t available before.

The episodes of The Journey are really well-done and have a nice pace, showcasing the various story lines from different Big 10 teams each week. Must have quite a large staff to put it all together. Have any job openings, guys?

Simply put, the kind of PR and promotion on The Journey is pure gold.

Every college conference should be doing it – and maybe some more are – especially those with their own broadcast outlets.

Along those lines, I would also argue that the colleges themselves should be kicking out their own weekly behind-the-scenes productions. (A great example is Gopher Basketball with Tubby Smith on Fox Sports North, with weekly interviews with Tubby, player profiles and feature stories).

Why stop at the college level?

State high school leagues and conferences could try it, even on a seasonal or monthly basis to start. Follow teams through their regular seasons, playoffs and the state tournaments. People love the inside the locker room, behind-the-scenes stuff. The coaches I’ve worked with are open to having cameras around 99% of the time because they know that win or lose I’m there to capture the moment and someday down the road they’ll want to watch it again. And, in the case of a season-ending game, that the 17 and 18-year olds celebrating or sobbing in front of me will have a permanent recording of that moment, even if it’s after a painful loss.

And, I’ve often made the case in some previous posts that high schools – some with even more expensive equipment than I have in my digital media arsenal – should be putting their students to work producing weekly programming about their sports, players, coaches…. even just about academics, clubs and organizations.

No, none of those ideas have to be on TV. That’s what the Web is for. Put it on the school’s website, put it on Facebook, iTunes… wherever students, parents and supporters would watch it.

Either hire pros like me – or students learning as they go – and follow the lead of the Big Ten and Fox Sports North.

Why not?