When did newspapers start covering high school sports?

I've been told several times that "back in the old days" our little community paper not only covered preps but also had thorough coverage of little league, etc. -- scores, standings, photos. "How come you don't do that anymore?"

 

I hope, maybe, that the original question was meant as, "When did the coverage of high school sports by national publications become popular?"

If so, the original answer would be semi-right. If not, eek.

 

I thought newspapers began covering high school sports when Tim Tebow was a freshman.

 

Our paper ran complete play-by-play descriptions of every football game, home and away, in 1913 (the year the hometown school started an official team). Before that, they provided regular coverage of the town's independent football, base ball, and basketball teams.

 

He was playing varsity as a sixth grader, heathen.

 

But did they cover the dance team's competitions in the Charleston?

 

What a waste of space. I could totally get that on the internet in 1913 for free.

 

No room left, after all that scintillating play-by-play.

 

L.A. is the same way, too. Go back and read some stories of Walter Johnson playing high school baseball in Fullerton in the first decade of the 20th century. Or Fred Snodgrass at LAHS. Just about every paper in SoCal covered high school sports in their communities 100 years ago.

 

I was going to comment but then saw the topic had been covered nicely. I'm sure in many towns, high school sports were BIGGER than anything else not that long ago -- and having typed that, there are probably a lot of towns where that's generally still true today.

I'm thinking the original post was, as somebody else said, about this whole national coverage business. I hope.

 

Pretty sure Corinthians went to press without a late result from district semifinal between Ephesus and Jerusalem Central. got it in time for 2 Corinthians, but they still got a ton of angry scrolls ...

 

This post reminded me of one of my favorite "look-backs:"

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/02/sports/sp-breababe2