MTV Cameras Come to Wyandotte Football Stadium

The recent success of football has attracted a fair share of visiting media to the Bears’ home field.

On Thursday, however, TV cameras were rolling at the Wyandotte  stadium for an entirely different reason.

They're here to document a Lincoln Park team that is aching for a win.

Lincoln Park High School hasn't won a football game since 2006, making it a perfect fit for a new MTV reality pilot, Wait Til Next Year.

With Lincoln Park due to bleacher renovations at its stadium, Wyandotte could get some major air time if the pilot is picked up as a MTV series.

For the show, MTV looked to document the rebuilding of a high school football program mired in futility. The 0-43 Rails, entering the season with a new coach, ended up being a perfect match.

A crew of about 40 people began filming well before Thursday night’s kickoff of the Railsplitters season opener at “home” against Allen Park. With cameras and boom mikes all over the field, they captured footage of Rails fans entering the bleachers, player warm-ups and last-minute advice to the players from the coaching staff. 

Once the game started, some cameramen hustled up and down the sidelines to get the best shots of the action. Others closely focused on the Lincoln Park bench, staying within just a few feet of players and coaches to capture their raw emotions on camera during the game.

Among those emotions early on were excitement and optimism. However, those feelings quickly turned to frustration and disappointment as Allen Park crushed Lincoln Park 42-6, extending the losing streak to 44 games.

Despite working so closely with the Rails, the TV crew never appeared to be a distraction to the team. Since filming began during practices earlier this summer, players and coaches have had time to adapt.

On Sept. 16, Wyandotte will face Lincoln Park at Roosevelt, playing the role of visitor on its home field.

Wyandotte coach said being on the away side and being recorded by MTV cameras would not interfere with his team’s focus on winning.

“I think that stuff is only a distraction if you allow it to be,” Adams said.

Bears co-captain and two-way starter also said the cameras should not have an overall negative impact on his team.

“It might bother some people,” he said. “But we’ll get used to if after awhile.”

A few Wyandotte fans took the opportunity Thursday to watch some football at Roosevelt stadium, despite their beloved Bears not being in action.

Fred Mekolon, a 1961 Wyandotte graduate, said having the MTV cameras at Roosevelt just symbolizes the excitement that the sport generates.

“It’s football time,” he said. “It’s supposed to be like this.”