Michel: Welcome to CSM Overtime, our biggest venture yet

Tick, tick, tick…BRRRRRZZZ!

The last few seconds of a sporting contest can be one of the most thrilling sights. In close games down the stretch, an invisible wave of pressure crests over the playing surface as every eye in attendance is transfixed on what the outcome, hanging in the balance, might be.

For the athletes, those seconds can feel like minutes because after four quarters of play, it all comes down to the final seconds. However, four quarters sometimes isn’t enough, leading to more big plays, more tension on the outcome, more athletes showcasing their talents and more stories made.

Likewise, after four years of high school sports coverage in Central Illinois, Clutch Sports Media is going to overtime, where you’ll get more than ever before.

CSM started with humble beginnings. Two sophomores in college, Larry Larson and Joey Wright, had the idea to launch their own sports broadcasting company from scratch with nothing but two microphones, a soundboard, a computer and talent.

Fast forward four years, a pandemic, a stretch of 35 broadcasts in 38 days, a few local media partnerships, some graduations, many new faces and hundreds of games later, Clutch Sports Media is extremely grateful to announce that it’s time for a new era as the 2023-24 sports season will be our biggest year yet.

I’ll preface by saying that nobody really likes change that much. There’s a sort of negative connotation around the word, since people are comfortable with what they’re used to. Change has especially been a common word lately when referring to local sports coverage for communities around the country, and not for good reason.

However, I can absolutely assure you that this time, change is something that the entire Central Illinois high school sports community will enjoy. CSM Overtime will bring you more coverage and keep you more updated across all high school sports across Peoria, Bloomington/Normal, and everywhere in between.

We’ll be writing feature stories each week that shine a light on the athletes, coaches, teams and schools that make this area so special. Each morning, you’ll be able to check in on CSM Overtime and see the results from yesterday’s contests across all sports within the 30+ schools that we cover. You’ll also get updated standings, stats, power rankings, and more written coverage of your teams from our growing staff of writers.

CSM’s partnership with II-Efficient Media and their talented staff will continue this year and we’ll have more photographers, videographers and maybe even an occasional drone on the sidelines than ever before. Instagram photo limits only allow us to fit 10 pictures in a post, but with a CSM Overtime subscription, you’ll get access to our full content galleries so you can find that picture or highlight from your favorite athletes and teams.

The cornerstone of Clutch Sports Media has always been our live broadcasts, which will remain free to watch. In fact, our partnership with WMBD will allow us to provide more high-quality live broadcasts than we have before. Our “In the Clutch” podcast returns this year on YouTube – as will our weekly Wednesday Walkthrough show on 101.1 Sports Radio Peoria – so you’ll always be able to see and hear the latest in Central Illinois high school sports.

I acknowledge that “paying” and “Clutch Sports Media” usually don’t belong in the same sentence. However, we believe that you’ll find more high-quality local coverage here than anywhere else in the area. Your support helps make all of what we do possible and we’re very excited for this upcoming year. If there’s anything you think that needs to be improved, feel free to contact us via our website anytime; we want to make your subscription worth it.

Through my four years at Bradley University and now having the privilege of working full time with Clutch Sports Media, I’ve come to love and embrace Peoria and Central Illinois. That’s been largely due to all the wonderful people I’ve encountered during my career with CSM and I hope you’ll join us for this upcoming ride.

We better get back to our seats, overtime is about to start.