The University Interscholastic League recently made a ruling to allow live streams of football games for the 2020 season.
This measure was taken to combat the current state of Texas high school sports during a ongoing pandemic.
UIL executive director Charles Breithaupt made the announcement June 17, and the UIL also allows Breithaupt to make short-term modifications to resolve issues related to the pandemic.
"There's Friday Night Lights elements that still exist in Texas, and we don't believe COVID-19 is going to do away with that," Breithaupt said. "But I do believe this is a time for us to stand down on our Friday night broadcast rule.
"We know this: There will be many people who stay away because they are fearful, particularly our elderly and our senior citizens. We want to give them a chance to see the game based on what the local district allows."
The UIL will not be involved in any broadcast decisions. The UIL will allow school districts to make individual decisions about streaming games on digital platforms.
The UIL expects fans to not attend games as they normally would because of fears of a second wave of coronavirus.
"The UIL has no interest in
getting involved in those conversations unless you need our assistance," Breithaupt said. "We're not going to gain one thing from this. It just gives people a chance to see the game that wouldn't ordinarily come because of COVID-19."
As of late, COVID-19 cases in Texas are steadily on the rise. As of Tuesday, Texas has had 115,000 confirmed cases, 69,190 have recovered and there's been 2,192 deaths.
Harris County has over 21,00o confirmed cases. Houston is a hotbed for high school football.
This temporary rule change will only affect football. The UIL permits all sports to broadcast live except for the state championships.