Press Credentials for Bloggers?

The sports industry has always been a very difficult industry for many to break into. With very few opportunities and numerous job hunters willing to work for less, it is nearly impossible for many to even dream of having a job in sports. While most want to become sports agents or front office personnel, others are seeking to enter the media realm of sports. Photographers, writers, and even bloggers are beginning to seek press credentials with very little experience in the field. Who wouldn’t want access to pregame activities, locker-rooms or their favorite athletes while the rest of sports fans have to wait in long lines, pay expensive ticket prices, and never get to see their favorite athletes up close? Recently, bloggers have been getting press credentials, which now makes it seem like almost anyone can get them.

Recently, Peter Robert Casey has received press credentials as a micro-blogger. Casey has one of the top ten most followed basketball-related Twitter accounts. He is also the most followed user in the basketball field that isn’t a professional player, coach, or team. As a micro-blogger, Casey’s works are less than 140 characters long. Will this type of micro-blogger become the new fad and will even more micro-bloggers gain press credentials?

While Casey’s credentials may seem acceptable to most, many other bloggers and micro-bloggers seek press credentials without nearly the following Casey has. Where should teams, leagues, and sports venues draw the line? In the past, the NHL has issued press credentials to over one hundred bloggers. Some teams welcome bloggers into their locker rooms while others shun them. Should a visiting team that doesn’t allow bloggers into their home locker rooms be forced to allow credentialed bloggers into their locker rooms on the road? Some cities that are traditional sports cities such as Chicago, St. Louis, New York, Boston, and Los Angeles will find it very difficult to accommodate bloggers in addition to their already sizable media personnel. Other non-traditional sports cities such as San Antonio, San Diego, and Washington may find it advantageous to provide popular bloggers and micro-bloggers with press credentials.

As the popularity of blogs continues to grow, so will the number of bloggers seeking press credentials. Leagues may try to set rules to prohibit or accommodate bloggers but I believe it should be left up to each individual team. Smaller market teams or teams in non-traditional markets such as the Phoenix Coyotes can benefit greatly from bloggers while big market teams have no room to further accommodate these same bloggers.

Legal Issues in the Sports Industry

Legal issues have been numerous within the sports industry. While lawsuits and complaints regarding sports agents have remained in the public spotlight, other issues have become popular among the media this year. Roc Nation has been in the news this year for several legal reasons including recruiting violations. However, one legal issue it has had may not have reached the general public, which will be discussed later in this blog. Sports agent Terry Watson has also been indicted earlier this year after a long investigation by the NCAA into UNC’s football program. Perhaps this year’s biggest sports related legal issue is EA Sports ongoing battle with current and former football players over its use of players’ personas in its NCAA College Football video game.

Earlier this year, Volcom (a modern lifestyle brand for youth) filed suit against Roc Nation (Jay-Z’s entertainment company) for infringement on its trademarked diamond-shaped logo. Volcom has insisted that Roc Nation’s diamond logo too closely resembles its stone logo. Volcom has been using the logo since 1991 and has spent more than $100,000,000 marketing its logo. On the other hand, Roc Nation began using its log in 2009. Volcom issued a cease and desist but Roc Nation has refused to comply. While it is nearly impossible for a company to avoid this situation, Roc Nation should have considered Volcom when drafting its logo since Volcom has been heavily involved with promoting both recorded and live music. Both companies operate in overlapping markets and a logo similar to Volcom’s may be seen as confusing the Roc Nation brand with Volcom. If the logos are deemed similar, Roc Nation could be spending a large sum of money to rebrand itself. This is an issue that should be avoided at all costs by Roc Nation and future agencies without question as most agencies are not recognized by their logos but by their agency names and lead sports agents.

Another issue plaguing the sports realm is agents violating various state athlete-agent acts. These acts were created to protect collegiate athletes who still have college eligibility. Recently, sports agent Terry Watson was charged with 13 felony counts of violating North Carolina’s Uniform Athlete Act in addition to a felony charge for obstruction of justice. Watson is accused of providing gifts to former UNC football players including Greg Little, Robert Quinn and Marvin Austin. These gifts included monthly payments, hotel rooms, and travel expenses.  According to North Carolina state law, sports agents must register with the Secretary of State and are prohibited from initiating contact with a student-athlete or providing anything of value to a student-athlete not under contract with the agent. These violations are still numerous and new laws are required to further prevent this behavior. Agents still have a motive to breach this act and will continue to do so until the reward is no longer greater than the risk. Until then, I would expect these violations to continue to plague the industry and damage the reputation of agents as a whole.

A recent settlement between EA Sports and former collegiate football players has also been a topic of discussion in the sports industry. EA sports announced earlier this year that it would cease to produce its NCAA Football video game, which does not use college football players’ names. The suit began when players alleged that the game used players’ jersey numbers, biography information and physical attributes without their permission or compensation. Both former and current players will receive substantive compensation for the game’s use of their personas. The settlement may not result in student-athletes making a healthy earning off others use of their personas but may spark the discussion of if (and how much) student-athletes should be paid. While former college players in the suit are no longer student-athletes, current college-football players will be receiving compensation for their likeness being used by the EA Sports NCAA Football 2014 game this year. This marks the first time student-athletes will legally be paid other than from scholarship for their efforts on the field.