Bloggers and the Press.. Cant we just get along?

Many sports bloggers are upset that their sites do not get the respect they deserve. I can understand why many bloggers do not get press credentials. Bloggers may lack heavy traffic on their website making it hard to earn respect. The media sees this as a problem. Avery Holton from the University of Texas at Austin had this to say:
Independent bloggers wanting more access to teams need to continue to advance their
credibility through trust and by moving themselves out of the fan category and into
the social media arena. Bloggers may be able to achieve this by delivering original,
newsworthy content, beefing up their site to reflect the most current in digital
media, tracking and reporting increases in their daily site traffic and interacting
with baseball front offices on Facebook and Twitter (Brown, 2010).

Bloggers have had quarrels with the media. In 2010, three bloggers were denied press credentials (Brown, 2010). Incidents like this are very common amongst online bloggers. However, these bloggers sued for their rights and respect as journalist.
It is clear that the old way of journalism is outdated. Technology has changed so much. The Internet has changed how music is enjoyed, how job seekers apply for employment, and much more. It is necessary for the media to devise a plan that includes bloggers in major events.

Below is another article by Malika Ashford expressing her thoughts on the issue.

Ashford, Malika. (2010). Are you journalist enough for a press
pass? . Retrieved from http://www.stinkyjournalism.org/editordetail.php?id=666

Brown, Donal. (2010). New york city considers press
credentials for bloggers. Retrieved from http://www.firstamendmentcoalition.org/2010/03/new-york-city-considers-press-credentials-for-bloggers/

Brown, Maury. (2010). study finds independent bloggers "least
trusted", likely denied press credentials in baseball. Retrieved from http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4657:study-finds-independent-bloggers-qleast-trustedq-likely-denied-press-credentials-in-baseball&catid=60:internet&Itemid=125

NFL Lockout 2011

It has been two and a half months since the NFL lockout began. Leaving fans, players and owners anxious to see what the end result will be. For most, the NFL lockout has little to do with equality because greed seems to be the driving force. NFL players have been showing good face by committing to team workouts, although the 2011-2012 season seems dismal.

According to the New York Post, May 17 is when a few judge’s put a permanent freeze on a ruling that had briefly lifted the NFL lockout in April (Hubbuch, 2011). With that said, the lockout continues. Jason Chayut is a sports lawyer and agent who gave his opinion on the ruling before it was overturned:
The legal system is based on precedent and Judge Nelson in her ruling used a lot of
the 8th Circuit's previous rulings to come down with her decision in favor of the
players. From that standpoint I think it's going to be very difficult for the Circuit
Court to overturn what Judge Nelson ruled. But, my understanding is that anything can
happen in the courtroom. Nothing is a hundred percent…from a legal standpoint the
conversation about shutdown exists largely because when you're in anti-trust
litigation there is what's called treble damages, which is triple damages for the
winner of an anti-trust litigation. If the owners were found to be in violation of
anti-trust law then basically any working conditions or wages, anything imposed by 32
competing businesses on non-union employees would all be violations of that anti-trust
law (Valentine, 2011).

I empathize with the players. It’s been clear that the players want a fair portion of what’s rightfully theirs. I hope that the owners are in violation of the anti-trust law. It is time for them to realize that without the players they wouldn’t be able to afford their lavish lifestyle. The players do not need the owners. The owners depend on the athletes.

Hubbuch, Bart. (2011). Nfl lockout continues after ruling. New York Post, Retrieved
from:http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/nfl_lockout_continues_after_ruling_enuvsOW1nTTLfwi6mzvInN

Valentine, Ed. (2011, May 16). Nfl lockout 2011: a legal perspective. New York Giants
News, Retrieved from: http://www.bigblueview.com/2011/5/16/2173352/nfl-lockout-2011-eighth-circuit-court-of-appeals-jude-susan-nelson

Fines, fines and more fines

Is it just I or could it be that the NBA seems to set a moral standard in the league? We all know that it is illegal for anyone associated with the NBA to talk to college and high-school athletes without an agent present. The league cracks down on those who infract these laws with hefty fines. The message is clear; the NBA does not want to “corrupt” collegiate athletics by tempting those with monetary value. Lets dig deep in this issue shall we. Recently hip-hop legend and mogul Shawn “Jay-z” Carter was investigated for having illegal contact with University of Kentucky men’s basketball team. The media mogul insisted that he wanted to congratulate the team’s success but was later fined. Jay-Z is a minority owner of the New Jersey Nets leaving the pro-team liable for his actions (Amick, 2011). However I see something wrong with this picture. How much do you think the University of Kentucky makes off of their athletic department? According to there 2010 budget, at least 72.65 million (Fy10 budget, 2010). U of K men’s basketball added 15.6 million to that total (Fy10 budget, 2010). Here is the problem. You have these young kids trying to get to the next level in their career while building a reputation for a college to draw in more athletes. Seems like a bit much. Sure these athletes receive athletic scholarships, but that’s about it. I have always believed that college athletes should receive a monthly stipend so they can steer clear of temptation. Do you remember the hummer controversy with Lebron James? The funny thing is, Lebron was still in high school when he was under investigation (Kindred, 2003). I think it is time for collegiate sports to pay up other than scholarships. Some of these kids don’t have family who can help them out during their tenure in school. With their schedule being so demanding, how else can they get by?

Reference
Amick, Sam. (2011, April 8). Nets fined $50k for jay-z 's visit.
Sports Illustrated, Retrieved from http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/basketball/nba/04/08/nets.jay-z.fined/index.html

Fy10 budget. (2010). Manuscript submitted for publication,
Department of Athletics, University of Kentuck, Lexington, Kentucky. Retrieved from http://www.uky.edu/Athletics/Board/agenda/may09/2010ProposedBudgetppt.pdf

Kindred, Dave. (2003, February 10). Don't blame king james.
Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_6_227/ai_97450898/