Sacred Heart University has a new way to stream Division 1 sports on campus. Pioneers+ is a streaming platform that allows fans, students, faculty and family to watch their favorite SHU teams. Production is primarily orchestrated by SHU students.
“We wanted to create an identity for both ourselves and our students and freelancers, who are working for us so that they felt a sense of community when working together,” said Aaron Such, the assistant director of production at SHU.
Along with creating an identity, Pioneers+ provides recognition towards sports that may not have gotten as much coverage in the past.
Sacred Heart University’s brand new Pioneer Plus streaming logo allowing you to watch SHU’s live sporting events.
Instagram, @shupioneersplus
“It is our way of having an internal platform for our smaller programs that may not get ESPN coverage or SNY coverage,” said Such.
“We wanted to make sure that there was always a way for those people to be able to watch their teams, whether it’s families who are in California or across the country or even internationally,” said Such. “We want to make sure that if you had some type of investment to the team that you could watch your son, your daughter, your husband, your wife, your boyfriend, your girlfriend, compete and play.”
Aside from providing extra streaming options for the viewers, Pioneers+ allows for undergraduate and graduate students studying within communications fields to get experience putting together broadcasts. Through internships, classes, and graduate school, there are numerous ways for students to get involved.
“The experience you can get working live events is priceless, and if you are someone interested in working in sports, this is the place to be,” said graduate student Robert Finizio, the former head content editor for the Spectrum.
Working live production allows development of skills that students may need entering the workforce out of college.
“First and foremost, you learn to think on the fly and think critically. Problem solving through technical difficulties in a small time frame is one of the biggest components of successful broadcasting, and these streams help develop those skills,” said Finizio.
As Pioneers+ continues to grow, there will be increasingly more opportunities to experience new sports. Currently, Pioneers+ covers 18 of the 33 Division 1 sports offered at SHU. Most limitations regarding the sports not covered are because some teams compete at off campus facilities.
“We’ve explored options of expanding to places such as where equestrian competes, where swimming competes, and we’ve even looked at golf in general over at Great River [Golf Club] since it is a facility that we own,” said Such.
Sacred Heart continues to grow its fan and student experience with new innovations, such as Pioneers+. You can tune in to games streamed on Pioneers+ at https://sacredheartpioneers.com/watch/.
