In nearly 40 years of covering high school sports, I recently had the worst experience ever at the LHSAA State Softball Tournament in Sulphur. However, thanks to the receptive ear of state officials, change is coming, wrongs are being made right, and the winners will be the players, parents, fans and media of high school athletics in Louisiana.
As the owner and editor of our local newspaper, I could easily assign someone else to cover our high school athletic programs. But as someone who loves high school sports, I gladly cover many of our games as it is a passion that allows me to leave the pressure and demands of the office and escape to a world of fun and excitement that so far hasn’t been infiltrated by greed like college and professional sports. There is great satisfaction in granting our local teams the coverage they, their parents and our many fans deserve.
It was for this reason that I was in Sulphur the weekend of May 2-4 covering both our Jena Lady Giants and LaSalle Lady Tigers as they played for state championships in their respective divisions. Because both our high school softball programs are two of the best in the state, I had been to Sulphur covering our ladies many times in the past, but nothing prepared me for the treatment that I encountered during this 2025 tournament.
Local media, like newspapers, small market TV stations, smaller digital platforms and others, were discarded as preferential treatment was granted to Geaux Preps photographers, television crews and others who had special contracts with the LHSAA. I was personally ordered to move from designated media areas around the fields by Geaux Preps photographers and television crews, and I learned that I was not alone. Many others were subjected to some of Geaux Preps personnel having complete control of the media area, giving all of us the impression that the LHSAA had sold out local media for their lucrative contract with the growing state media group, which has at least one objective of selling their images on their digital platforms.
Allow me to stop right here and explain that I am not against Geaux Preps. I think they do great work and most of their photographers are great and kind individuals who absolutely take outstanding photos. The service they provide through their website involving power points, rankings, score updates and more, is a valuable addition to the high school athletic scene. But I am against them having a monopoly in covering our high school teams, especially when they reach the biggest stage of the year.
Local media is the lifeblood of high school sports. We are there from the beginning of the season until the very end, constantly promoting our teams, supporting our teams and providing coverage that they would never receive from other media. We are there not just when they are winning, but during the losses as well. We are there even if they never experience a state tournament or play in a state championship game. We record their games for all of history to remember and I will always be convinced that our role is to give our student-athletes the recognition they deserve which helps prepare them for our leaders of tomorrow.
Immediately following the state softball tournament, I reached out to the LHSAA with the problems local media and fans had in covering their teams in Sulphur. Over the course of the last few weeks, conversations were conducted with the top officials of LHSAA where the issues were acknowledged, apologies made and commitments were made to ensure they never happen again.
These assistant executive directors were very apologetic about what had occurred at not just the softball tournament, but in other state tournaments, where they were informed of issues that they agreed was not in line with LHSAA policies and conduct. To be fair, to a large extent, they were unaware of the way local media was being treated by certain Geaux Preps photographers and other contract media until after the tournaments were over. Other policies that prevented better coverage for local teams was known about and changes will be implemented with the 2025-2026 school year.
I’m thankful that the LHSAA continues to recognize the impact local media has on high school sports. In the words of one top official, “I wish more local media would become more active in covering sports as we have seen a huge decline in recent years.”
On the commitment of these officials, several changes will be implemented with next year’s state tournaments. Among those include: equal access for local media; media areas not controlled by Geaux Preps; removing the image limit that was placed on local media in providing photo galleries; and one final clarification that will delight many parents and fans regarding bringing cameras to tournament games – cameras are allowed by parents and fans as long as the camera does not have a lens larger than 200mm and it doesn’t violate certain venue restrictions.
According to the preface of the LHSAA Handbook, the LHSAA is to “ensure that the high school athletic programs in the association are conducted at a high and fair level of play.” When practices that seemed to not align with this statement were addressed with the LHSAA, I’m thankful that top officials listened. They not only listened, but they also took action to address the issues and make the appropriate changes.
May we all be reminded that high school sports are about the student-athletes. It’s about the schools, the parents, the fans. While every organization must make money to survive, if we ever reach the point in high school sports that revenue is more important than students then we have failed as a society.
Thank you, LHSAA, for your commitment to our student-athletes. I look forward to covering the big games next year and seeing the change
