Sexy men in sports

I have been late in my postings of the next "Sexy men in sports" This is all due to the fact that I wasn't sure which sport to cover next. Swimming, Basketball, Baseball, UFC, Golf Gymnastics!? Soo many sports and sooo many creditable athletes. This is going to take some serious research and good quality shots of these men doing what they love to do, and what we love to swoon over. So until next time hopefully I'll have a man for you all.

To blog or not to blog

A question, where do you look to get your news, sports and entertainment updates? Newspapers, television, magazines, the radio? In 2010 all of those mediums seem obsolete. If one cannot tell, I use the Internet and love doing so. Now all the information may not be creditable, but its fast and easy. In the world of information gathering more and more people are turning to the Internet. Blogs are becoming especially popular with sports enthusiasts; they can get the story from the point of view of fans and professional outlets.

Now the hard part about blogging comes in obtaining the proper press credentials. A lot of leagues (professional and college) take great strides in protecting the nature of their sports. In particular the NCAA has a committee consisting of representatives from institutions and conferences administers each NCAA game. This committee has developed policies for media credentialing. The one main event that is popular in obtaining these credentials is during the NCAA Championships. As found on the NCAA website the two ways media outlets can obtain these credentials are:

1. By consistently covering a team during the regular season
2. By meeting NCAA requirements for print-media circulation or electronic-media market size.

With those criteria in place a person would believe that a well-known confirmed media outlet would have the authorization to cover the event in any media. Well during an NCAA baseball game in June of 2007 a journalist for The Louisville Courier-Journal was removed from a game for live blogging. To the NCAA credit there was a memo sent out to all press stating “any blog that has action photos or game reports, including play-by-play, scores or any in-game updates, is specifically prohibited." In the reporters defense his supervisors informed him to continue with the blogging anyway.

The journalist updated his blog a total of 17 times with minor plays and some scores before his credentials were revoked and he was ejected from the game. The issue revolves around the First Amendment, freedom of speech. The newspaper had considered legal action against the NCAA and the University of Louisville for violating the journalist’s First Amendment rights, but decided against it.  The original argument made by the Courier-Journal came from their representing attorney,

"It’s a real question that we’re being deprived our right to report within the First Amendment from a public facility," Fleischaker said, according to Bennett’s blog. "Once a player hits a home run, that’s a fact. It’s on TV; everybody sees it. [The NCAA] can’t copyright that fact."

I agree with that statement. If it’s happening and everyone can see it happening in a public area, how can one copyright that. The swing of a bat, the pitch of a ball, the scoring of a run, it’s something that happens at different times, on different levels and to different people.

A representative from the NCAA states that the NCAA has a bundled rights agreement with CBS and ESPN, which pays for the rights to cover NCAA championship games. A spokesperson from ESPN has said that their rights cover live TV, and that they did not request for the journalist to be removed and was never asked.  There are individuals who are totally for blogging and feel that blogging is just another way to reach fans and newspaper readers. They mention what is to stop a person at home watching the championship from blogging. The NBA and NFL both allow credentialed reporters to report online during the games that are time-delayed and limited.

I see no harm in blogging during a sporting event. If people are able to watch a game on TV the chances of them giving that up to go online and read a blog is very rare. A blog like a newspaper is for people who miss the action and would like to know the score of a game, the highlights of a game and just the overall experience from their choice of media entity. We are in the day and age of the Internet and receiving information in that way. Some media outlets have gotten with the times, while others like the NCAA are still struggling to be open-minded. 

References

Student Press Law Center

NCAA

Cnet

USA Today

Check the fun at the door

Don Imus

Some things are just not right to say, no matter how funny it may seem. I am sure everyone knows of controversial radio talk show host Don Imus and his infamous statement that caused uproar. Granted everyone should have the freedom to express his or her first amendment, but with that comes consequences a person must be ready to face. Don Imus is known as a radio host, writer, humorist and an all around wise-cracking individual. He is mostly known for his off color comments about individuals on his radio show. I would put him as the older generations Howard Stern, a rude with no remorse “shock jock”. In April of 2007 while talking about the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championships on air with his executive producer, the two of them had banter about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team. A transcript of some highlights were released to the news media:

IMUS: That's some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos and—
McGUIRK: Some hard-core hos.
IMUS: That's some nappy-headed hos. I'm gonna tell you that now, man, that's some—whew. And the girls from Tennessee, they all look cute, you know, so, like—kinda like—I don't know.
McGUIRK: A Spike Lee thing.
IMUS: Yeah.
McGUIRK: The Jigaboos vs. the Wannabes—that movie that he had.

With news of the mostly African American womens basketball team being referred to as “nappy headed hos” Don Imus became the center of a Sports Tort lawsuit. Sports torts involve legal actions against professional athletes, teams, organizations and the live for a civil wrong done to an individual. Sports law tort is defined as “actions include lawsuits claiming medical malpractice against team doctors, defamation suits alleging that a professional athlete has been libeled or slandered, and negligence actions brought by both players and spectators for injuries during a sporting event”(Archerlaw).

Rutgers Women's Basketball Team

Kia Vaughn, a center from The Rutgers Women’s Basketball team filed a lawsuit against Don Imus in August 2007 for libel, slander and defamation. Immediately after the transcript hit the media Don Imus issued a public apology that did not seem to go well over with some fan and activist groups. Imus was suspended and then fired from his show. Not surprisingly Don Imus had a lot of support from fellow comedians and journalist who believed that everything was said in a tongue and cheek matter, that free speech was exercised and therefore an apology and suspension should have been enough.

Going back to the lawsuit many people argued that how can a no name player sue for defamation and slander if no one has heard of her before. Ms. Vaughn and the rest of her team too offense to the term “ho” more some than the statement about their hair. Blurring the line between what a “ho” is and what a prostitute stands for.

For me I know what I am, and what I am not. Being called a “ho” in any situation can be embarrassing and hurtful, BUT if you know you are not one, and do not carry yourself in such a manner, I say what is the big deal. The “nappy-headed” remark was indeed racist as many has seen it to be, even more so considering all the players had straight long hair. Should Don Imus have been fired? I say no, like most comedians he made a racist, sexist joke that some took offense to. If everyone who was ever offended by comedians such as Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, and George Lopez and decided to sue, the courts would be overrun with frivolous lawsuits.

Kia Vaughn

In September of the same year, just a month after filing the tort suit, Ms. Vaughn and her lawyers had decided to drop the case. Ms. Vaughn claimed to have wanted to focus on academics and basketball. I personally feel that the case was withdrawn because of the entire backlash it was getting. Rutgers basketball team had people on their side, but when word of a lawsuit came about, that is when said people had to take a step back. Now here are some questions I asked myself, Was Don Imus wrong? Yes. Did he deserve to be fired? No. Was the apology and suspension enough? Yes. Were Kia Vaughn and the rest of the basketball teams image hurt? No. Being called a “nappy-headed ho” did not deter them from getting a job or playing on the team. All and all they walked away with hurt feelings.







Resources and References:
ArcherLaw
ABC News
Above The Law
The Chronicle
Fox News

30 years to late

Intellectual Property Infringement can be one of the most serious lawsuits around. Intellectual Property (IP) refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce. IP is divided into two categories the first is industrial property, which includes inventions (patents), trademarks and industrial designs and next is copyright, which includes literary and artistic works such as novels, poems and plays, films, musical works, artistic works such as drawings, paintings, photographs and sculptures, and architectural designs.



Intellectual Property in sports is something that a lot of teams and companies battle on a semi-regular basis. An issue I will touch on has to deal with copyright and trademark controversy in sports, a case between Florida State University and The Southeast Seminoles. This story has to deal with the fact that The Southeast Seminoles is using the name Seminoles, the Indian head, and its spear that appear to be the exact same of Florida State University which in turn falls under copyright and trademark infringement.



Now Florida State University is no stranger to the courtroom in regards to its sometimes-controversial school name. In the past along with many other sport teams named after Native Americans have seen lawsuits demanding a name change. Those against the names argue that it’s racist and degrading. Painting a picture that Native Americans were savages and even compared the names to the hot top racial use of the N-word. Those for the names argue that the names do not mean what those naysayers think. They see it as a type of motivational tool. To promote strength, courage and spirit within the players, fans, and community. Florida State University went up on the chopping block for the use of the name Seminoles and the logo of a Native American in war paint. In a turn of events the real Seminoles went to bat for the University and they were able to keep their name.

Florida State University Seminole

Now after battling to gain the right to use their name, FSU has come up another hurdle, Southeast High School in Bradenton, Florida.  Southeast High School has received a cease-and-desist letter stating “that says they are infringing on copyrighted university trademarks, saying FSU has a "valuable ownership interest" in the trademarks. The letter also states that Southeast is diluting the brand by using the logos.”

Southeast High School Seminoles

Now Southeast High School states that it has been using the same likeness for the past 30 years with the knowledge from both parties without incident. In the letter that was sent to the school’s principal there was not mention as to why now FSU has decided to take action. As to be expected alumni, students and staff were upset in knowing that a school they considered part of the Seminole family wants to disown them.



Is there really an issue here? From the high schools point of view the red flag for me is the random timing of the cease-and-desist letter. Why wait 30 years to cry foul, what could FSU possibly gain from demanding Southeast to change their whole image? The school has said that it cost at least $100,000 to change its logo and marketing plan. Some are speculating the sudden interest in high school has to do with declining interest in FSU and the athletic program. Is this a case of a big guy trying to phase out the little guy? I believe it is. Like I stated above FSU has had past issues with its name and maybe now they just want to hold steadfast and true to their name without sharing it. But my question like others is why now? Why not include them during the lawsuit years ago? Or even before the lawsuit began. Southeast High School does not want to fight over this issue and at the same time does not want to change its history. Maybe FSU is seeing how absurd it is now because they are in talks of working with the High School to come to an amiable agreement where both schools can use the name. I say more power to the Southeast Seminoles. Keep a hold of what Seminoles means to you and your school; courage, strength and the love of your community.




For a short news clip, watch below:


For more information and my resources check out the following links
Technorati
WTSP-Tampa Bay News
WCTV
Tampa Bay Online
Bradenton Online

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