Will NBA.com Do A Disappearing Act?
Posted by Seth in INTERNET, Uncategorized on 06-28-11 No Comments
Imagine a major pro sports league website without any photos or videos of the league’s players. Later this week, it’s possible you may not have to imagine, because that’s what NBA.com might look like.
While the entire world remains breathless about the status of the NFL’s labor situation, the NBA is also getting ready to revisit its collective bargaining agreement. There could be a lockout coming, and if that happens it seems NBA.com as we know it will disappear with the old CBA. According to several sources, with no CBA in place the player’s association could force the league to remove all player likenesses from league and team websites. Apparently the league and teams have been scrambling their web staffers to get a redesign of every team’s page and the league page by the end of the week. We assume this means the NBA’s YouTube channel will go dark as well.
Wow … where to begin?
First of all, this is ridiculous. Why such a provision would even be part of a CBA is a major question. Obviously, the players have a right to negotiate the use of their likenesses, but forcing the league to yank all that content off the web in one fell swoop is just plain ludicrous. Even in the worst pro sports labor disputes — the 1994 baseball strike and the cancellation of the 2004-05 NHL season — the league survived. The need to promote the teams and players goes on. Indeed, that need is even more critical when you have a work stoppage. It took baseball forever to bounce back from 1994. Public relations is everything, and a vibrant website is a big piece of that.
Beyond that, it’s truly hilarious that anyone could be talking about wiping such a large swath of content off the face of the web. This is the digital age. You can’t stick the toothpaste back into the tube. Once it’s out there, it’s out there, baby. Just ask Anthony Weiner.
Either way, if you want to watch video clips of your favorite players, you’d better do it in the next few days.
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