Dangerous And Ridiculous: Facebook Won't Let Sites Join Its Internet.org Program If They Encrypt Traffic

PGA Joins NHL In Yanking Reporter Credentials Over Use Of Periscope On Golfers Practicing

from the out-of-bounds dept

Wed, May 6th 2015 12:38pm — Timothy Geigner

Well well, this whole anti-Periscope app stuff is certainly becoming a thing. At first it was Hollywood that declared war on the livestreaming app and I said nothing, because I'm pretty sure Hollywood once argued that kittens were piracy-beasts because they might possibly accidentally type "torrent" onto their owners' keyboards whilst trying to get some attention. Then the NHL banned the media's use of Periscope during warmups, but I said nothing because the NHL never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity when it comes to generating interest in the league. Then the boxing world went after Periscope streams of the Mayweather v. Pacquiao fight, but I said nothing because I honestly wasn't aware that boxing was still a thing nowadays. And now that the PGA has come after my potential Periscoping-golf-enjoyment by threatening to yank journalist credentials, who is left to stand up for me?

Golf reporter Stephanie Wei lost her PGA Tour credentials after she used mobile live-streaming app Periscope to show golfers teeing off in practice at TPC Harding Park last Monday. The tour revoked her access “for the remainder of the season” on Wednesday.

Wei wrote about the incident on her site. She admitted that she had received a warning for Instagramming a video of Tiger Woods’s round at the Phoenix Open earlier this year, but considered this to be a different circumstance since she was filming a practice round that wouldn’t have been televised anyway.

As was the case with the NHL ban of the app, the fact that the streams consisted of footage that was never going to be broadcast apparently didn't matter a lick to the PGA. They simply saw someone using the app and decided to go all Hulk Smash on it. Wei noted that she specifically streamed footage she knew wouldn't make the air because she fully acknowledges that the PGA has broadcasting partners generating a great deal of revenue for golf and that the league would be within its rights to protect all that income. But she then argues that streaming practice sessions that wouldn't make television could only help golf in generating more interest.

The PGA responded with a double-bogey's worth of dumb.

PGA Tour chief marketing officer Ty Votaw didn’t see a difference, telling Golf.com that when Wei posts “unauthorized videos, she’s stealing.”

Putting aside the misuse of the term...stealing what, exactly? There's no consequence here, other than the lost potential to promote the sport and the PGA through streaming that doesn't touch the broadcast footage. What did the PGA have that Wei "stole" from them? To yank the credentials of a reporter over this not only removes potential interest, but it also builds animosity with the press. I would have thought that someone involved in marketing the PGA would know better than this.

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Filed Under: golf, livestreaming, pga, reporting, stephanie wei
Companies: periscope, pga, twitter

18 Comments

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Agonistes, 6 May 2015 @ 12:47pm

Damn, maybe this Periscope app is actually worth looking into if Hollywood despises it so much.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2015 @ 12:49pm

Re:
Yeah, I agree. If the copyright crusader zealots hate something it definitely warrants my interest.
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Oshoma (profile), 6 May 2015 @ 1:02pm

Both Golf and Boxing Are Still Improtant
We all know that boxing is not the most relevant sport and to be frank with you not everyone likes this sport especially when one out of the two opponent starts bleeding. Even as big as the As for at Mayweather v. Pacquaio fight, not everyone watched it. For some their excuse was they were not fans of boxing. As for the Golf, the sport remains much more preferable than boxing because of how flexible and fun loving it could be. People naturally prefer Golf. But that does not take anything away from Boxing which makes both Boxing and Golf Important.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2015 @ 1:10pm

Re: Both Golf and Boxing Are Still Improtant
This is pretty much how I feel about every sport.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f27IqVo5-Oc
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mischab1, 6 May 2015 @ 1:14pm

Stolen
What was 'stolen' was the money they think they should receive to allow her to record the video. Not that they would have authorized it if she had asked for permission in the first place. Most likely they would have decided the chump change for such a small video wasn't worth the effort.
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TheResidentSkeptic (profile), 6 May 2015 @ 1:15pm

So what would they do...
... if a golfer had his caddy video him and posted it? Would they ban the golfer or the caddy or both?

Is it ok if they are playing for fun and not "on tour" ??? Then could they post a video?

Let's figure out everything that isn't allowed here.

Then we know what to go and do.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2015 @ 1:18pm

She 'stole' their (illusion) of complete and utter control over their marketing and communications.
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RadioactiveSmurf (profile), 6 May 2015 @ 1:19pm

Re: So what would they do...
*sticks fingers in ear, closes eyes, and screams* NEVER USE IT EVER NEVER EVER!! IT'S EVIL AND HORRIBLE AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT SO NEVER EVER EVER USE IT!!!! /s
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KeillRandor (profile), 6 May 2015 @ 1:39pm

Stealing?
I thought that everyone knew that taking a picture of someone - let alone a MOVING PICTURE - steals their SOUL!!!

And the souls of sportsmen and women ALWAYS belong to the corporation that runs the sport - it says so right there in their contracts!
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David, 6 May 2015 @ 2:24pm

Re: Stealing?
Corporations certainly seem to have high demands for souls as it does not appear they manage to get in the black convincingly in spite of all the sucking.

And likewise with brains.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2015 @ 4:26pm

until there is some serious shit thrown at Congress, who started this whole copy prevention issue, at the requests of their friends in Hollywood and other sections of the entertainment industries, the ridiculous terms of stealing, theft etc, will continue to be used and the prevention of anything and everything that is doing no harm at all, let alone removing any revenue, will just carry on. i have never heard more stupid answers or more stupid comments from who are supposed to be intelligent adults than when they are trying to condone their actions by backing the entertainment industries. these people have caused irreparable harm to the whole country, to the way it operates, to it's services and to it's adoption of technology moving into the future! rather than keep being voted back into office, they should be tried for treason!!
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2015 @ 9:15pm

Mike Masnick just hates it when copyright law is enforced.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2015 @ 11:26pm

Can we expect the word "stealing" to include even more bullshit in the future? Its losing its meaning really quickly thanks to the copyright fanatics.
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Jake, 7 May 2015 @ 4:34am

Wait. you of all people are a golf fan?
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That One Guy (profile), 7 May 2015 @ 4:55am

Re:
I dunno, it's quickly reaching, if not has reached, the point of utter absurdity thanks to their use of it, and has become, much like them, little more than a joke.

"Loaning a friend a book/CD/movie without forcing them to buy their own copy first is stealing from the creators!"

"Allowing anyone but yourself to listen to a radio is stealing from the artists!"

"Watching a tv show but skipping or leaving the room when commercials come on is stealing"

"Reading out loud in public is stealing!"

And so on and so forth.
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That One Guy (profile), 7 May 2015 @ 4:56am

Re:
What copyright law, exactly, was 'enforced' here? Be specific.
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Pragmatic, 8 May 2015 @ 8:00am

Re: Re:
That will continue, dear friends, till we all stop going along with the rest of the world like a bunch of drunken lemmings calling copyright, etc., property. It. Is. Not. Property!
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Pragmatic, 8 May 2015 @ 8:00am

Re: Re:
That will continue, dear friends, till we all stop going along with the rest of the world like a bunch of drunken lemmings calling copyright, etc., property. It. Is. Not. Property!
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