NCAA vs. Blogging - 2

Last week began with word that the NCAA had tossed a Louisville Courier Journal reporter from the press box for blogging for the paper during a super-regional game.

Now comes a complaint from the Oregonian's editor that the NCAA threatened to yank that papers credentials for the College World Series because editors watching the Oregon super-regional on TV were filing updates to the paper's Web site.

Quoting Editor Peter Bhatia:

The NCAA claims ownership rights to any during-the-game information and that it can be distributed only through those outlets to which it has granted rights. That means ESPN, in the case of the super-regionals. Lawyers quoted in press accounts seem to believe the NCAA is within its rights.

But it is perplexing as to how a newspaper blogging half inning by half inning -- posting information that has been on live TV many minutes before -- somehow threatens the NCAA or ESPN's revenue stream. One could also argue that once broadcast the information is public.

And we won't even get into the notion that the NCAA can threaten newspapers and their reporters, but also claims that no one anywhere in a stadium can blog during the game. Do they really think they will stop some fan with a PDA from blogging out of the left-field bleachers at the CWS, even if it is just to a few buddies back in the dorm in Corvallis?

As I said last week, is the NCAA ready to try to confiscate all cell phones? Let the fun begin.

Earlier, an NCAA lawyer asserts the right to toss reporters even if their organization is blogging from the home office. From an NCAA e-mail to the N.Y. Times: “Reporters covering our championships may blog about the atmosphere, crowd and other details during a game but may not mention anything about game action. Any reference to game action in a blog or other type of coverage could result in revocation of credentials.”

Why, it may be time for a new code. "Sunny" means a homer, "rain" means a routine grounder, "hot dog" means a double, "mustard" a triple ..
Hey, we can all play along. Put your suggestions in comments.