From the Office of the President for Immediate Release:
It has come to my attention the LiveStream Broadcast of the NCDA’s Nationals 2016 Championship Game between Grand Valley State University and Central Michigan University on Sunday April 17th in Bowling Green, OH was not fairly commentated.
Due to an issue with an inadequate number of available staff at the end of the tournament, the LiveStream Broadcast was commentated and recorded by one of the members of the twenty-player roster of Grand Valley State University who volunteered for the responsibility.
The commentary was admittedly biased toward the GVSU side in both coverage and opinions about the match. This is no excuse though, it is the responsibility of the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association, the Executive Board, and the Nationals Committee to ensure adequate staffing and coverage for large events, especially the Championship Match.
The LiveStream Broadcasts of these games are an extreme luxury for the NCDA since the organization relies on personal mobile devices and volunteers to film/commentate these games. Some games this weekend were recorded by members of the NCDA who are very dedicated and excited to filming the games, while others were simply recorded in silence to make sure at least the game footage was visually captured. There were many games that were not filmed due to this same type of staffing issue.
Unlike some organizations, the Championship Game is not the most watched live event, this is due to the long drive some players have to make back home on Sunday to get ready for their classes on Monday morning. With most players leaving after their team loses in the single elimination bracket to start their journey home, this leaves the organization low on member-volunteers for things such as recording and commentating games. Staffing for officiating always takes the highest priority over the live broadcast of the games.
I wholeheartedly apologize on behalf of the NCDA, the Executive Board, and the Nationals Committee to the club members of the Central Michigan University Dodgeball organization, their friends, and families who felt the game was not fairly commentated. It was never the intention of the NCDA to misrepresent or purposefully upset any club or member of the organization with this action.
Any further questions or comments can be directed to me personally by emailing ncdadodgeball@gmail.com
Thank You,
Felix Perrone
NCDA, President
4/19/2016
