This Christmas, or ChristMAX as redefined by SportsMax, sports fans in the Caribbean can win amazing prizes courtesy of SportsMax through its multi-faceted app by the same name.

For 12 Days, SportsMax viewers and app users can win authentic sporting merchandise such as La Liga merchandise, Amazon Gift cards, Cricket West Indies Kits and free app days, to name a few. 

The SportsMax ChristMAX campaign, which kicked off on December 13 and will end on Christmas Eve, consists of two promotions - 12 Days of ChristMAX and the flagship activation, SportsMax App 200 Dash.

The 12 Days of ChristMAX promotion is the perfect mix of the traditional and digital worlds with challenges and trivia questions taking place as a joint venture on the SportsMax Zone, the SportsMax app and the SportsMax social media pages.

This promotion aims to reward app users for their continued support throughout the year. Participants in this promotion can look forward to daily activations across all platforms. Additionally, the SportsMax App 200 Dash promotion will identify the top sports fan who enjoys unlimited streaming on the SportsMax app. The first streamer to attain 200 consecutive hours on the SportsMax app during the campaign period will walk away with a brand-new Samsung S23+.

To be eligible for the promotions, participants must be over the age of 18 years and reside in any of the English-speaking Digicel and SportsMax markets in the Caribbean.

Participants must ensure they are logged into their SportsMax app accounts and following the SportsMax social media pages to participate. This campaign is governed by the terms and conditions which may be found on the SportsMax app and website.

Global track and field icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and her Pocket Rocket Foundation are celebrating 10 years of existence this year and in celebration, and to raise funds to offer even more scholarships to student-athletes in need of financial support, will be staging a fundraising banquet on November 4 that will be streamed on Sportsmax.

The two-time Olympic 100m gold medallist promises that the occasion will be one to remember.

Since its inception in 2013, the foundation has awarded scholarships to 73 student athletes across various sports from 26 schools across Jamaica. They are able to do so through generous backing from companies like GraceKennedy, Digicel and now National Baking Company Foundation, who donated JMD$1,000,000.00 to the foundation at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston on Tuesday when 11 more student-athletes were awarded scholarships.

Each scholarship recipient, in addition to the JMD$100,000 academic scholarship, will also receive, JMD$7500 NIKE book bag, official Pocket Rocket Foundation notebooks and Promise Pin, a JMD$15,000 Book voucher, a $10,000 GraceKennedy Food Basket and a JMD$25,000 DIGICEL Tablet with JMD$3,000 worth of credit.

Fraser-Pryce explained afterwards that the work is just beginning hence the fundraiser planned for next month.

“For the Pocket Rocket Foundation, we have a lot of visions that we are implementing currently from the Rocket Start Breakfast Programme that we rolled out last year, donating deep freezes and refrigerators to different schools, just to enhance school life,” she remarked.

“What we have coming up is the Pocket Rocket Foundation’s 10^th anniversary fundraising gala at the AC Hotel on November 4 when we are looking forward to all that we have been able to accomplish throughout the years as well as implementing a (public-relations) etiquette seminar for students.”

Among the foundation’s future plans is a strategy to prepare high school student-athletes for college by providing them with the tools they need to successfully make the transition thus enhancing the chances of success.

“I think one of the things that is also important for the foundation is college readiness,” said Fraser-Pryce, who has a degree in Child and Adolescent Development from the University of Technology.

“We have a lot of athletes that are here from different sports and a lot of them will need help in transitioning because it is not as easy as it seems. It definitely takes a while to transition and some of the things we want also want to be able to offer them is mental health support because for a lot of persons there are different ways that they cope and I want to assist as best as possible, helping them to cope. It’s not just about giving them cash and kind but it is to be readily available to cater to different needs that we don’t know of or money can’t buy.”

These are among the reasons why the five-time World 100m champion will be asking patrons of the gala to make the sacrifice and turn out for the occasion because every dollar raised will go towards building these student-athletes into productive citizens of Jamaica.

“How it works is that you just empty your bank account, give it us and we can continue to invest in student-athletes,” she said breaking out into laughter.

“The ticket costs USD$350 and also, as a company, you can be a sponsor of the gala and you can have a table for your company to have up to 10 persons to attend. We’ll have items for auction and raffle items,” she said.

“Sportsmax will also be there to live-stream the event so wherever you are in the world you will be able to participate. It will be a night of excellence.”

The 2023 Jamaica Basketball Showcase (JBS) is set to be bigger and better than the inaugural event in 2022.  The event will be broadcast live on several SportsMax platforms and will be reaching a global audience, creating a great opportunity to showcase the best basketball talent in Jamaica and helping to revitalize the sport in the country.

That was the overarching theme expressed at the launch of the 2023 JBS that place on Tuesday, July 19, at Express Fitness at the Constant Spring Golf Club in Kingston. The event was attended by representatives from SportsMax, the Jamaica Basketball Association, and Express Fitness as well as players from the participating teams.

The 2023 JBS is scheduled to take place from July 27-29, 2023, at the Donald Sangster Auditorium at the University of Technology and is expected to be a major showcase for basketball talent in Jamaica. Six Under-20 teams including defending champions PHASE 1 Academy, Purple Power, Hoop Factory Blues, Camperdown Giants, Blue Mahoe Basketball and Caribbean Basketball Academy, will compete for JMD$300,000 in prize money. PHASE 1 will take on Purple Power in the opening match.

Paul Campbell, CEO of Sports Innovators Group (SIG), the event's organizer, said that the 2023 JBS promises to be "bigger and better" than the inaugural event in 2022." He added that the event is expected to "reignite some interest in basketball" in Jamaica.

Campbell cited the addition of SportsMax as a broadcast partner as a major reason for the event's growth. He said that SportsMax's reach will help to expose the JBS to a wider audience, both in Jamaica and around the world.

Meanwhile, Nicholas Matthews, CEO of SportsMax, said that the network is "excited" to be broadcasting the 2023 JBS." Matthews expressed the view that SportsMax is committed to "developing local and regional sports," and that the JBS is a "great opportunity" to do just that.

According to the broadcaster’s CEO, SportsMax, who have entered into a five-year agreement with SIG will be providing premium coverage of the JBS, including live broadcasts on the SportsMax channels and streaming on the Sportsmax app, on CEEN TV as well as the Sports Innovators Group website.

Paulton Gordon, President of the Jamaica Basketball Association, believes JBS is "a huge success" and that the association is "looking forward to an ongoing partnership" with Sports Innovators Group."

He said that the JBS has helped to "revitalize basketball in Jamaica," and that the association is "committed to working with Sports Innovators Group to make the JBS even bigger and better in the years to come."

Nicholas Lynch, CEO of Express Fitness, said that the company is "very much invested into developing sport through youth" and explained that the JBS is "an excellent opportunity" for Express Fitness to "continue that support."

Lynch also said that Express Fitness will be providing a number of resources to the JBS, including fitness training for the players and support for the event's marketing and promotion.

International cricket commentator and SportsMax correspondent Nikhil Uttamchandani has questioned Rahkeem Cornwall’s continued omission from the West Indies Test team in light of his consistent performances at the regional level.

During a recent edition of the Sportsmax Zone, Uttamchandani, while reviewing the first round of the 2023 West Indies Championship, was asked about Cornwall’s performance against Jamaica.

Cornwall starred with bat and ball, registering scores of 29 and 85, and finished with ten wickets for just 95 runs against the Jamaica Scorpions.

The burly Antiguan also took a tournament-best 23 first-class wickets in the five matches last year but has not played a Test for the West Indies since November 2021.

There has not been much from Cricket West Indies with regards to Cornwall’s continued omission from the Test squad but Uttamchandani opined that fitness should not be a concern.

 “If fitness is a problem, how is he able to play four days of cricket consistently?” he questioned.

“Why are there [fitness] concerns when we go to Test cricket, which is just one additional day to the four-day cricket he is used to playing and is excelling with both bat and ball?”

Uttamchandani is hopeful that if Cornwall continues to do well this season, he will get that deserved return to the West Indies team.

The 30-year-old took 34 test wickets in nine matches, including a 10-wicket haul against Afghanistan in 2019.

He has scored two Test fifties in his career and is known for his powerful hitting in T20 cricket and boasts a strike rate of 147.49, which is among the highest in the world.

This, according to Uttamchandani, could make him a valuable asset to the Windies.

“He brings a unique style of play with the bat as we saw in that game [against Jamaica]. He scored 85 from 95 deliveries. He is destructive as we have seen in the CPL for years,” he added.

“[When] you look at England and Australia, the [Test] game is going in the direction of having that flexibility of aggressive players in your middle to lower order.”

Ultimately for Uttamchandani, “Rahkeem Cornwall ticks all the boxes.”

Only Versammy Permaul has taken more wickets than the 63 that Cornwall has taken in the last three domestic seasons.

If he can stay up top of the wickets column in 2023, it will be interesting to see if he does get his opportunity later in the year when the Indians tour the Caribbean in July.

SportsMax is to re-introduce the staging of the Caribbean High School Football Championship between high school teams from Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.

The competition will see St. Benedict and Fatima College of the Secondary School Football League (SSFL) in Trinidad and the two finalists from the Olivier Shield in the Inter-School Secondary Sports Association School Boy Football (ISSA SBF) competing for the coveted trophy in Kingston, Jamaica.

The Caribbean High School Football Championship will be held in January 2023, with qualifying matches to be played on January 13.

The action concludes on January 15 with the finals, where the teams with the most points or best goal average, compete for the championship title and the grand prize of US$10,000, courtesy of SportsMax.

“I am extremely happy about the opportunity to bring the regional giants of Caribbean School Boy Football from the SSFL in Trinidad and from ISSA in Jamaica to a Caribbean final to see who will take home the trophy of the SBF Champions of the Caribbean,” said Nicolas Matthews, CEO of SportsMax.

“As the leading sports content broadcaster and production house in the Caribbean, SportsMax will create a robust and extensive promotion for the Caribbean High School Football Championship. We will cover traditional and digital media in a calculated effort to have Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago’s schoolboy football achievements celebrated in the 60^th year of their countries Independence, pushing the mantra that we are ONE Caribbean!”

President of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association, Keith Wellington was equally excited about the return of the competition.

 “ISSA is happy to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Independence of Jamaica and Trinidad through this match-up of our top schoolboy football teams,” he said.

“Schoolboy football has been a favourite activity of both nations and this opportunity for regional interaction amongst our youths is priceless!”

General Manager of Tiger Tanks Denis Latif title sponsors of the SSFL said he is keen on seeing how the competition plays out between the best schoolboy teams from both countries.

 “Tiger Tanks are pleased to be a part of the 'rekindling' of the rivalry between Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.

“With both nations celebrating special anniversaries in 2022, it is only fitting that this is the beginning of many other things to come. Both countries, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, have always been vying for top honours in the Caribbean and with our football now getting back on stream I am very eager to see the hunger on the field.”

With extensive coverage on multiple platforms, football fans will be able to access exciting football throughout the Caribbean and in the Diaspora through a wide array of broadcast platforms including SportsMax, SportsMax2, the SportsMax App and the SportsMax YouTube channel, sister station CEEN TV which broadcasts to the United States, United Kingdom and Canada and also on the web at www.ceen.tv.

Viewers in the Diaspora will also be able to tune in on what promises to be a thrilling display of skill, school camaraderie and country pride.

“SportsMax has broadcast both leagues over the last five years and we have seen the birth of so many class footballers, many of whom have gone on to the national and international stage,” said Matthews.

“This final playoff is meant to endorse regional sports integration and also to reward our SBF athletes through their schools for the excellent work they have put in throughout the season. We are looking to organizing this playoff annually and to rotate it across countries and, in the long term, look to add other countries to be a part of the Caribbean play-off.”

The initiative also aims to create synergy in sports at the high school level between arguably the two most successful football nations in the English-speaking Caribbean - Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago – as well as increasing interest and viewership of the sport and athletes while exposing them to meaningful opportunities from all stakeholders, scouts, schools, clubs, the Diaspora and alumni communities.

“I am tremendously elated to be part of the re-emergence of the Caribbean High School Football Championship between ISSA and SSFL,” said SSFL President Merere Gonzales.

“Providing such a crucial platform for our student-athletes would certainly aid in the continued development and advancement of our youths in the region, allowing them, the opportunity to source football scholarships or professional contracts.” 

The Caribbean High School Football Championship is slated to be an annual event and with the support of the high school associations and the sports ministries from both countries, we foresee the rise of the most-anticipated event in the youth sports calendar. 

“SportsMax will continue its efforts to bring the Caribbean together through sports and entertainment and ensure that athletes and viewers in the Caribbean continue to see the best talents and with the best seats from the Home of Champions,” Matthews said.

“We implore you to show country pride as we bring to you a synergy like no other.”

After a 14-month hiatus, football resumes in the land of wood and water with the Jamaica Premier League is set to kick off spectator free on Saturday, June 26, with the final scheduled for Sunday, September 26, 2021.

Chairman of the Professional Footballers Association of Jamaica, Chris Williams, made the announcement earlier today during a Zoom press conference and which was attended by the main stakeholders including Jamaica Football Federation President Michael Ricketts, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports Olivia Grange as well representatives of team sponsors, presenting sponsors Digicel and broadcast partners Sportsmax Ltd.

Williams revealed that a total of 66 matches are expected to be played during the preliminary round of the competition where each of the 12 teams will play each other once. Matches will be played in double-headers on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. 

At the end of the round, the teams will be separated into two tiers. The bottom six teams will play each other in a round-robin format for points that will determine rank.

Meanwhile, the top two teams will automatically advance to the semi-finals while the remaining four will play for the remaining two spots.

The semi-finals will take over two legs with the team with the better aggregate advancing to the finals.

No team will face relegation this season.

Four venues have been approved for matches with the National Stadium and Sabina Park being the preferred venues. Should there be a scheduling conflict, Williams explained, Stadium East and the Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus will be used to stage matches.

In relation to player and personnel safety, players and support staff will be tested for the Covid-19 virus in the days leading up to matches.

Minister Grange revealed that there is a plan is to have all players vaccinated.

Further announcements are planned to unveil team sponsors and uniforms as well as the fixture schedule.