NCAA Clarifies Position On Live Updates

Thursday, June 21st 2007, 4:31 pm

By: News On 6

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ Live updates of NCAA sports events are permitted as long as they are limited to scores and time remaining, the governing body said in a clarification of its position on blogging.

The issue arose last week after a reporter for The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., was ejected from an NCAA baseball tournament game for submitting live Internet updates during play.

NCAA spokesman Bob Williams said Brian Bennett was asked repeatedly not to blog play-by-play reports because it violated NCAA policy as a ``live representation'' of the game. Bennett provided in-game blog updates during Louisville's super regional series against Oklahoma State that gave the score and a brief summary of game action.

``Any reference to game action in a blog or other type of coverage could result in revocation of credentials,'' the policy stated, according to a copy provided to The Associated Press.

In a statement released Wednesday, however, Williams said the NCAA had issued ``incorrect information'' that live updates of any kind were prohibited.

``In fact, in-game updates to include score and time remaining in competition are permissible by any media entity whether credentialed or not,'' Williams said.

Bennie Ivory, executive editor of The Courier-Journal, said the new admission by the NCAA was evidence that ``they made a mistake.''

``It's no clarification,'' Ivory said.

Jon Fleischaker, the paper's attorney, said the paper hasn't made a decision about whether it will sue the NCAA or the University of Louisville.