Watchfire Adds NFHS Sportsmanship Message to Videoboard Packages

Fall sports bring new teams, packed student sections, and another chance to define what game day should feel like.

Watchfire has once again partnered with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) to help schools promote sportsmanship, respect, and the larger purpose of education-based athletics and activities.

New animated content supporting the NFHS’ Bench Bad Behavior and Protect the Purpose campaigns is now available in the EasyArt library within Watchfire’s Ignite Sports gametime software. This marks the second time Watchfire and the NFHS have worked together to turn national campaign messages into ready-to-use EasyArt content for high school videoboards.

Watchfire also includes NFHS sportsmanship videos with new high school videoboards, giving schools meaningful content they can use as soon as the display is installed. Instead of beginning the season with an empty content library, operators have professionally produced messages ready for opening night.

Start the Season with Clear Expectations
The beginning of the school year is the right time to remind students, parents, coaches, and fans what high school sports are meant to represent.

The Bench Bad Behavior campaign addresses inappropriate conduct in the stands and along the sidelines. Its message is direct: support your team, respect officials, and represent your school well.

Protect the Purpose takes a broader view. It reminds communities that high school sports and activities exist to help students learn, grow, compete safely, and prepare for life beyond graduation. That purpose extends to athletics, music, speech, theater, and other education-based programs.

Together, the campaigns help schools establish expectations before emotions rise and competition gets intense.

Build Sportsmanship into Game Day
Sportsmanship messages work best when they are part of the event, not buried in a handbook or mentioned once during a preseason meeting.

With Ignite Sports EasyArt, volunteer and student operators can place the new NFHS animations alongside starting lineups, sponsor messages, student recognition, crowd prompts, and other game-day content. Schools can run them while fans enter the venue, before the opening whistle, during timeouts, or between games at a tournament.

That makes a real difference during the busy first weeks of school. The person running the videoboard may be a student, coach, teacher, volunteer, or athletic department employee managing several responsibilities at once. Ready-made content helps them deliver a polished presentation without adding another project to the back-to-school checklist.

Reinforce the Message All Season
The first game can introduce the message, but repetition helps it stick.

Schools can use NFHS sportsmanship content throughout the fall, winter, and spring seasons to remind fans that their behavior affects athletes, coaches, officials, and the entire game-day environment.

Messages can also be timed to moments when they matter most. A sportsmanship animation during a heated timeout or before a rivalry game can help reset the atmosphere without slowing down the event.

When the final whistle blows, schools can run the content again as fans leave the venue. That final reminder helps carry the school’s expectations beyond the stands and into the broader community.

Available Now
The new NFHS EasyArt content is available in Ignite Sports for use on Watchfire videoboards.

Schools with existing Watchfire systems can contact the Watchfire service team for help accessing the latest content and getting their game-day playlists ready. Call 877-201-3939, email [email protected], or connect with your Watchfire representative.