Issues with Media Rights, Broadcasting, and Press Credentials in Sports

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/08/31/nfl-adopts-game-day-social-media-policy/

Over the past five-years, various means of social media has become a real-time, trusted news source. Because of such technological advances, the NFL is not allowing reporters and commentators to participate in any social networking during games.  By doing so, the NFL seeks to protect their copyrighted material from losing money.  Franchises want as much exclusivity and ownership of the aired material as possible.  In my opinion, having reporters, bloggers and commentators upload play-by-play details to social media outlets during the games will be beneficial to their brand awareness.  This could also increase revenue streams if carried out the correct way. 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/jeff_wagenheim/04/13/credentials/index.html

Two reporters assigned to cover a Mixed Marshal Arts (MMA) event were denied access to press credentials.  The reporters denied credentials were Josh Gross, of ESPN.com and freelance journalist Loretta Hunt, she was assigned coverage by CBSSports.com.  These reporters are two of the most experienced and respected journalists covering MMA fights.  MMA President Dana White was not pleased with the press coverage of theses two individuals after prior MMA events and denied them access at the door.

http://john-seidenberg.suite101.com/increased-restrictions-on-covering-sports-events-a149480

Certain media rights precautions that the National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), and Major League Baseball (MLB) have taken are restricting the duration of audio and video involving team members during game situations.  Also, they have limited the allotted length of game footage that can be archived on a Web site.  Leagues have followed many of these existing limitations in trying to control the product that comes out of sports coverage.  After reading this article, I became more aware of the minute details that are involved in each league’s content coverage standards.  Individually, they have a set news value placed on their content coverage.  For instance, MLB believes a game has no news value beyond 72 hours. 

2011-12 NBA Lockout: Employment Laws and Unions

A sports league lockout is when owners and player associations (unions) renegotiate the terms of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA).  This agreement dictates salaries and salary caps for players and organizations.  This year, two of the most highly populated sports leagues in the United States, the National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced that it would commence a lockout of its players.  The NFL’s lockout lasted from March 11, 2011 to July 25, 2011.  The season was started on time.  The NBA’s lockout became effective at 12:01 am ET on July 1, 2011, and is currently pending.  As the lockout puts the 2011-12 NBA season in jeopardy the players and team owners are not the only people to be affected by the stoppage.  Team employees, arena workers, city officials, and the fans are all being affected. 

By far, I believe that the NBA lockout is the most controversial employment law and union debate within the sports industry.  Keep in mind that during the lockout, players will not receive their salaries; teams will not negotiate, sign or trade player contracts; players will not be able to use team facilities for any purpose; and teams will not conduct or facilitate any extra business dealings associated with each the franchise.  This would be acceptable by the players union if there was a deadline to get the negotiation completed but there is no deadline.  In this case, the player’s union placed a lawsuit against the team’s owners for intentionally delaying actions to renew the collective bargaining agreement. 

The average player salary for the 2010-11 season was $5.15 million.  Over the six-year term of the expired CBA, the average player salary increased by a total of 16%.

With the lockout reaching 2½ months and union executive director Billy Hunter telling reporters Tuesday that he has already cautioned players to expect to miss up to half of the upcoming season.  Because of this, there are speculations of key players traveling overseas to play and to gain a source of income.  You cannot have a league without players but players will ultimately have a welcoming overseas.

The 1998-99 NBA lockout reduced the season to a 50-game schedule.  Will this lockout be to that extent?  

References:

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/6973675/nba-lockout-derek-fisher-los-angeles-lakers-emails-players-says-owners-rift

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/07/22/final-nba-revenue-numbers-in-from-last-season/

http://www.nba.com/2011/news/07/01/nba-labor-lockout.ap/index.html

 http://www.nba.com/2011/news/06/30/lockout-statement/index.html

Controversial Sports Issues and Legal Distress

After being ejected for throwing at the Braves' Chipper Jones, the 30-year-old Zambrano cleaned out his locker and reportedly told teammates he was retiring.  The Cubs say that Zambrano will remain disqualified for at least 30 days, which means he will lose at least $3 million of his $17.9 million salary.  There is questions whether the franchise will bring Zambrano back after the 30 day disqualification, which could lead to a messy legal battle.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/michael_mccann/08/15/carlos.zambrano/index.html

In 2010, Reggie Bush became the first player in the 75-year history of the Heisman award to have the trophy taken away.  The Heisman Trophy board announced that there will no replacement for the 2005 winner spot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VixwyDLygc

In 2007, Marion Jones became the fourth American athlete in Olympic history to have a medal taken away by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).  In fact, she had three gold and two bronze metals from the 2000 Olympics revoked, as well as a 7th place win in the 2004 Olympic's women's long jump.

 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316536,00.html#ixzz1XE9q3d6Q

Referneces:

 http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/feed/2010-08/usc-football/story/report-reggie-bush-will-lose-his-heisman#ixzz1XE5nU5Ar