Submit Your High School Sports Highlights to USA TODAY Sports
USA TODAY Network Launches High School Sports Video Highlight Portal
The USA TODAY Network launched a video highlight submission portal, creating a user-generated content tool for fans to share high school sports highlights across select regional publications.
The Tech TL;DR:
- Submission Portal: Fans can upload sports clips directly via navigation bar links across multiple network properties, including The Arizona Republic and The Detroit News.
- File Specifications: Videos must be 30 seconds or less, under 500 MB, and formatted in MP4, MOV, or AVI containers.
- Compliance Pipeline: Mandatory metadata collection includes athlete identification, school name, event date, and verified family legal consent before editorial review.
Users Must Follow Specific File and Metadata Requirements
Per usatoday.com, users initiate the process by accessing the upload link in the site menu. Files are capped strictly at 30 seconds in duration with a maximum file size threshold of 500 MB. Accepted video codecs and containers are limited to MP4, MOV, and AVI formats.
Step three of the submission interface mandates structured metadata input. Users must supply the athlete’s name, school name, state, opponent details if applicable, sport category, event date, and a narrative description of the play. Step four captures contact data, restricting email use strictly to administrative communication regarding the specific submission, and records the submitter’s familial relationship to the athlete as a parent, grandparent, legal guardian, or other family member.
Legal Consent Determines Publication Across Regional Network Outlets
The final step of the upload sequence enforces strict legal compliance. As documented across the source network, USA TODAY Network will not accept highlights for publication unless the submitter completes all mandatory legal consents. Once validation clears, regional high school sports editors review the assets for potential integration into weekly roundups, standalone social media reels, and in-article game recap placements.
Coverage spans dozens of regional mastheads operating within the network. Outlets accepting submissions at launch include The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Columbus Dispatch, Des Moines Register, Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, The Florida Times-Union, Florida Today, The Gainesville Sun, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, IndyStar, Lansing State Journal, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Naples Daily News, The News-Journal, News-Press, The Oklahoman, The Palm Beach Post, Pensacola News Journal, Tallahassee Democrat, The Tennessean, and Treasure Coast News.