NFL Says No to play-by-play Tweets

**Wesley** · 09-03-2009, 10:01 AM

What are they worried about?

NFL Forbids Play-by-Play Tweets, Good Luck with That -- Seeking Alpha

"Here’s my message to the NFL: The best of them - newspapers, record labels and movie studios, just to name a few - have tried their best to stifle technology in hopes of maintaining control of their cash cow business models. All have largely failed."

**Clonefan94** · 09-03-2009, 10:22 AM

Well, I have no idea how they are going to police this, other than shutting twitter down on Sundays and Monday night. If there are any groups in the US with the money to do this, I would have to think the NFL is probably one of them. I guess the question is where do you draw the line between sharing privileged information and just chatting with your friends? I know you have to pay the NFL or at least get permission, to show hi-lights from a game, but do you have to pay them to tell anybody what you saw? I understand restricting the press. And personally, I kind of agree with it in principal, knowing full well that a lot of the sports guys around here that tweet have a pretty big following. And they are being granted special access, not allowed to the normal person. Then again though, it's not like you are going to follow a twitter page instead of watch the game. Or at least I wouldn't. Just like tonights game, I'm not going to not pay for the Clone Zone because I can get a play by play twitter from someone instead. In a way, the NFL should embrace twitter. It keeps people connected to their game that might otherwise not be able to connect to it. Like I said with the record industry. Don't hate the digital, adapt to it. They didn't, look what's happening to them now.

Also, about fans twittering. I believe that a purchase of the ticket, enables you certain rights. It may not allow you to broadcast the game, or record it. But, I do believe it entitles you the ability to convey, to whomever you wish, what you witnessed while there. It becomes a freedom of speech issue in my opinion. It's almost like saying I can't call someone and tell them I'm at the game. I understand that it is different, because you are broadcasting your thoughts to possibly more than one person. But in reality, you are not replaying the game, you are not showing or displaying anything other than your words and your interpretation of what you see. Since they are your words and not the NFLs, it's tough for me to believe they should be able to stop the fans from tweeting if they so choose. Which really wasn't the point I guess. That was something the writer commented on. To me, it seems the NFL only wants to prevent the press from tweeting. Like I said before, I'm fine with that.