This is just so stupid I can’t get up the energy to properly berate it. From TechDirt’s coverage:
Brian writes in to let us know that Major League Baseball seems to be following the NFL’s rules on how reporters are allowed to report on games. In the MLB’s case, reporters can only post short video clips, can’t post more than 7 photos per game and all non-text content must be removed after 72 hours. It’s fairly amazing that news organizations agree to put up with these restrictions. The fact that news organizations caved into the NFL is what has allowed MLB to go down a similar path. Again, MLB has every right to set the terms by which it gives out press passes, but news organizations should push back against these policies, potentially buying tickets themselves, rather than getting team-approved press passes.
This is utterly amazing. Fans are drawn into the game from the wealth of ‘visual’ insights into the game – whether they happened last week or last decade.
By locking historic visual media down to only their site, MLB is single-handedly taking the ‘vibe’ of the league out of the hands of the fans.
There is absolutely no way this can be a long-term decision for MLB.
Stupefied.
John – This is right in line with how MLB operates. In fact, they just filed a petition with the Supreme Court to try and take full commercial control over the use of baseball player names and statistics in order to monopolize fantasy sports (they have tried to shut down dozens of fantasy baseball game operators so players have to pay MLB to play). Not only are they alienating their best promoters but their most hard core customers as well.
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=sbd.main&articleID=118908
They have a monopoly and don’t play by the same free market rules the rest of us are used to whereby you do everything possible to improve your products, promote your brand and stay close to your customers.
Apparently MLB would rather have us watch highlights of the Roger Clemens steroid scandal than game clips.
http://playersearch.com/Search.aspx?q=Roger%20Clemens
Stupefied, but not surprised!
Ted
Ted, I think they are indeed doing everything they can to improve their products. Isn’t that what the steroids are for?
This is a perfect example of a greedy organization that’s lost its marbles.