Creating a Deaf Sports Tournament Showcase
The Clerc Classic is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious basketball tournaments of Deaf Schools. Founded in 2001 and held every year since by varying Schools for the Deaf around the country, the Clerc Classic hosts both boys and girls basketball teams as well as a Cheer competition. Tournament host California School for the Deaf, Riverside was unveiling a new school gym and wanted to put its best foot forward when its turn came to host the Clerc Classic.
Broadcast Live for a Deaf Audience
Clerc Classic had provided live broadcasts of its tournaments in years prior, but we wanted the experience to be like none other. We decided to build a dedicated website to host the livestream and manage our paywall. We felt that by centralizing the experience and providing direct customer service, we would be able to minimize any challenges in accessing the livestream.
We hired an all-Deaf production team, including sportscasters and equipped them with multiple wireless cameras so they could move around to where the action was. By providing in-game commentary and interviews in American Sign Language, we were able to engage our fans in a way never experienced at a Deaf sports competition before. With a minimum of five cameras in operation at all times, including an drone providing live aerial footage of the new gymnasium, fans at home were able to feel like they were watching a professional sports broadcast on television, paying just $40 to watch more than 30 games over three days. Some ticket paying fans chose to purchase a livestream so they could stay close to the nonstop action even while outside the gym.
Demonstrating A Model For Future Tournaments
In today’s climate, most Clerc Classic events are no-frills and have limited budgets. Producing the Clerc Classic Livestream was one of the largest line item expenses for the tournament committee, but the revenue generated from the tournament earned every cent back and then some. By expanding the broadcast to include promotional sponsors and advertisements, future tournament hosts could position their livestream to become profit centers by bringing in new fans who otherwise could not travel to the host.
The Clerc Classic website became the primary destination for fans, utilizing a sports management system to display tournament results, including individual player statistics and game photos immediately after the game. Live broadcasts were published to the game results page for future viewing, and became a primary resource for coaches and players at the event.
We were proud to work with the Clerc Classic organizing committee and had such a great time filming and producing a highly competitive tournament. We have taken our Livestream experience to produce other events, including a Texas state regional playoff game involving an undefeated Texas School for the Deaf.
Contact us to learn more about showcasing your next major event with a livestream produced by CHILMARKeting
