It’s our job as a local sports department to do our best every day to cover, gather and disseminate sports news and stories that are important to our viewers.
Unfortunately, a new rule in place at City of Palms Park this spring is going to make things a little tougher.
Just as we began to fire up our cameras at last night’s Spring Training opener between the Red Sox and Twins, we were informed that NESN – a cable network that serves New England – has the exclusive broadcast rights to the game. Even though NBC2 doesn’t serve New England, nor were we intending to show any portion of the game live on our air, we were barred from taping anything from the game.
It’s important to note that the Red Sox have an ownership interest in NESN, so it’s not like some independent entity paid the team for these exclusive rights. They may operate somewhat separately, but the Sox and NESN are in the game together.
We’re not exactly sure how the rules will apply for any Twins games this spring that are going to be carried on FOX North, their cable outlet.
This isn’t something we haven’t seen elsewhere in sports. Major League Baseball has long forbidden local cameras from shooting games as they’re in progress, and the National Football League just made the call to ban local cameras from sidelines this past season.
It’s reasonable for a network or broadcast outlet to desire exclusive rights once the price of buying those rights gets to a certain point. You the viewer may not know the rules, but I’m certain you’ve seen examples of how it works out on the air. The Olympics and even big-time boxing matches carry very strict rules on who can use video and when. Even with run-of-the-mill games on network TV, local stations can’t show highlights until the game is over.
It makes sense at that level of sport.
But in the two years I’ve worked in Southwest Florida – and for as far back as anyone who’s been here longer can remember – the local media has been given access to Spring Training. Every year, every game. It was incredibly jarring when we were ordered to “turn that camera off right now” – that was the direct quote – at City of Palms last night. I sat at a press table with members of the other Southwest Florida media outlets, and let’s just say NBC2 isn’t the only station who feels the rule is a little unfair.
It didn’t help ease our anger when we learned the rule doesn’t apply to International media… which meant the dozens of Japanese media were allowed to continue doing their jobs unhindered.
I get that Daisuke Matsuzaka means the Japan now falls within Red Sox nation. I also get that the team’s primary allegiance has to go to the bedrock of their support system back in New England.
But for six weeks each spring, the Red Sox and Twins are our team. Fans flock to the stadiums, buy the gear, adore the players, cheer at the games and brag to friends when they see their favorite player at the mall, restaurant or bar during those six weeks.
We even take some heat in the local media once the regular season begins for continuing to show Twins and Red Sox highlights in our sportscasts each night. Marlins and Devil Rays fans don’t seem to like it that Fort Myers, Florida often gives teams from Minnesota and Boston better real estate within our sportscasts than the two Florida teams.
That’s the point. They’re only here six weeks… but for Southwest Florida… these are our teams, too.
The City of Fort Myers built, maintains and controls the leasing of City of Palms Park. Lee County fills the same capacities for Hammond Stadium. It just doesn’t seem to stand up to logic that the local broadcast affiliates who serve the very people who paid taxes to build and maintain the stadiums are barred from doing their jobs there.
In fact, there is a groundswell among local media in NFL markets to use this same argument to work their way back onto the sidelines of NFL games. If the cities or municipalities own a stadium, can a team that leases it reasonably bar the local media from gathering news there. I would expect this battle to work its’ way into courtrooms within the next year or so.
Of course I’m going to be biased on this one, as I’m on the wrong side of the fence. I understand the idea behind paying money for broadcast rights, and why exclusive access often accompanies the rights fees.
But this is Spring Training.
I get that big-time sports means big-time dollars. I also get that since the won the World Series in 2004 along with their new global status after signing Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox have to deal a little more in crowd control.
Fueling our discontent… and by “our” I mean everyone in the Southwest Florida broadcast media… because we’ve all had this discussion already. I spoke with one colleague at another station about growing discontent just last week. Maybe that’s why last night’s banishment hit so hard. It came right after another Red Sox coverage-versus-access situation we dealt with. After countless calls, e-mails and requests for us to cover the Red Sox annual charity golf tournament… we arrived to have the team bar us from talking to any of the Red Sox players. I don’t mean to discount what the Red Sox, or Twins for that matter, do for local charities while they’re here. I went on-air last week saying it’s amazing how far they go to help charities in a town and region they’re only in for six weeks. It’s very noble and genuine.
The problem I have comes from the fact they begged the local media for coverage, to get exposure for their charity efforts… but once we were there, they wouldn’t meet us halfway by allowing us to get some time with the players.
That’s who the viewers want to see and hear. That’s who viewers care about when Spring Training begins. That’s what we, the local media, hope to bring to the viewers.
Do we have a right to access? That’s the big question, isn’t it?
Do the teams have a right to our airtime? That’s one we’ll have to consider over the next few weeks.
With all this in mind, we have to beg Red Sox fans for forgiveness ahead of time. There may be times this spring where we simply cannot bring you highlights of spring training games in a timely manner. We’ll be sure to state on the air when this happens.
Friday’s Daisuke Matsuzaka debut will be one such instance. The Sox game begins at 6pm, and we fully intended to be live at the game to show you Daisuke’s first pitches as a member of the Red Sox.
We’ll still be able to show it all to you eventually… but it will be off a generic national feed gathered from NESN, and won’t be until the 11pm newscast.
Needless to say, that's not the way we prefer to do business as a news gathering organization.
