The NCAA is run by old guys

Pulled straight from the file of "What the hell were you thinking?", the NCAA is enforcing a rule that prevents live blogging from the press box during a game. A Louisville Courier-Journal reporter was ejected from the press box of Jim Patterson stadium and had his credentials revoked when it was discovered he had (gasp!) been blogging throughout the game and the NCAA tournament.

Live blogging from the game, a practice that isn't new by any stretch, C-J writer Brian Bennett (pictured) was told that it "is against NCAA policies. We're revoking the credential and need to ask you to leave the stadium."

It's really quite obvious, but I guess I'll say it anyway. This is so incredibly dumb. Not only is the NCAA refusing to have its event promoted via the Internet, a forum they are obviously very ignorant of, but they ejected the evil-doer from the stadium, preventing him from further reporting on their event.

In a stadium that was constructed with the funding of the University of Louisville (a large part of it coming from the stadium's namesake) and state dollars, the NCAA should keep their hands out of who is doing what in a school's press box. It should be the host school policing each press box, and enforcing an arcane NCAA rule is likely the last thing UL wants to do to its local media folk.

First, the Courier-Journal needs to demand a changing of the rule and could even ask for an apology, although they would never get one.

Second, the University of Louisville needs to man up and let the NCAA know they disagree with the rule, that is if they would like to maintain a solid working relationship with the Louisville C-J.

Third, the NCAA needs to can this rule, it is obviously curtailing exposure for their sport, something they should know is never smart.

Just in case anyone was wondering if the NCAA is run by a bunch of curmudgeons, now all doubt has been removed. Those damn internets!

Reasonably yours,
Scooter
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