Michigan High School Athletic Association Executive Director John E. “Jack” Roberts is "disappointed and disheartened" by the Big Ten Conference's decision to add Friday night football games.

The MHSAA expects the Big Ten games to hurt attendance and media coverage of Friday night high school football.

The trend was already moving towards more college football on Friday nights, but the Big Ten's announcement secures more games on Fridays.

Michigan State has played on Friday night of Labor Day weekend each of the last six seasons. Michigan and Michigan State are not expected to play many Friday games. MHSAA reports, "at most, both will host a Thursday or Friday night game during Labor Day weekend and play one Friday night away game during the remainder of a season."

Even without many Friday games for Michigan or MSU, the cumulative effect of the games could still erode high school football's popularity over time. It's something that MHSAA has been fighting for years, but it appears the Big Ten's desire for more exposure and ultimately more money has won out.

The Big Ten has a right to play their games whenever they'd like, but it's unfortunate their future schedules have the potential to distract from high school football.

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