Paul Pewitt football games live streamed this year
The age of George Jetson is getting ever nearer. Why, the Jetsons if they were living in the Naples/Omaha area today could watch son Elroy play football and daughter Judy cheerlead all on their hand-held cellphones.
This is live, for free and the quality’s good. Thanks to modern technology, Paul Pewitt’s games are live streamed this year with the work of the school’s audio-visual instructor Shane Sibley and volunteers.
The video station is called BIMM Productions, and one is going to be able to watch games on cellphones, computers and digital televisions until at least the end of the present COVID-19 viral interruption.
The virus figures prominently here because, until June of this year, one could not broadcast school games according to University Interscholastic League (UIL) rules. This governing body wanted football and sports to be a community event, attracting fans to the stadium.
Then the virus hit. Stadiums could not be filled. So the rule was relaxed, and Sibley — former Brahma football player, coach and now teacher — was literally standing on the sidelines already doing video.
“When the UIL said it could be done, I thought someone might ask me to video broadcast games, so I started getting ready. I had a lot to learn, but the best part was that I was going to have a lot of good volunteers who love Brahma football the way I do and the community does,” Sibley said.
First, Sibley had to get the technical equipment. He had video cameras from the school and its audio-visual class. He called Texarkana Game Day videography owner Morgan Smith and asked about the systems.
“We’ll let you use one of ours,” Smith said even before being asked.
Then, Sibley had to spend $1,600 of his own funds to get other items necessary
Next, he had to recruit camera operators, announcers, students and go-fers. Everyone had to train. He himself had to learn over the Internet of all the things he was supposed to do. He especially had a goal for himself and his crew. Their production had to be good and reflect well upon the schools and kids.
When he thought everything production-wise was ready, the first game with Winnsboro got canceled. His video squad had an extra week to prepare, and prepare they did for the unexpected … which happened.
“We’d had three trial runs before the next
“When the UIL said it could be done, I thought someone might ask me to video broadcast games, so I started getting ready. I had a lot to learn, but the best part was that I was going to have a lot of good volunteers who love Brahma football the way I do and the community does.”
—Shane Sibley
game with Atlanta,” Sibley tells. “Morgan Smith called and asked if we were ready. “
“Yes,” I said. “We’ve had three trial runs and no problems.”
“No problems? Not one?” Smith asked “I should have known,” Sibley said.
On the night of the game in Mt. Pleasant, the entire school, stadium and maybe the town went off the Internet. No wi-fi service. This is critical, and none was available.
Sibley improvised, likely because he’s a technical teacher and coach. He fed the cameras’ signal into his own cellphone and from there to the Internet.
“Not the best, but it worked,” Sibley said. And people have responded well. A mother in Colorado called to say she had seen the game and her son play and was elated. Another said the quality was so good he thought it was a national football league production.
Make no mistake. The world is apparently entering a new era of communication. One can do this around the world. Any place there’s a signal to the Internet.
So here’s the final point about Brahma football and its online, Internet video station.
The ones you see or hear are these:
■ Announcers are Jerry Braddock, Lance Luttrell and stats by Jimmy Lloyd Waits
■ Video camera operators are Billy Barton and students Ethan Smith and Eli Heard
■ Sponsors are Naples Church of Christ and Boggy Creek Honey Farm of Omaha. One can view online at:
■ Youtube.com:shanesib1
■ Brahmafootball.live.2020
■ Facebook.com:PaulPewittFootball
At the conclusion of the first game, Shane’s daughter Annabelle asked, “Why don’t you talk?”
“Because I’m too nervous,” Dad said. “We’re creating something for the world to see, and I want our kids to be shown in a good light.”
There is no future for sure for BIMM at the moment. When COVID ends, the UIL will make a decision on live streaming. “I hope they will see the benefits,” Shane said.
Brahma football supporters are prepared to proclaim that in abundance. They’ll hold up their smartphones in homage to that signal from the sky.