Comments on: NCAA bristles at CBS Sports college fantasy plans

By: Yahoo sues for free access to NFL player stats | Zoneblitz.com

Yahoo sues for free access to NFL player stats | Zoneblitz.com — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:17:07 +0000

[...] year CBSSports.com announced that it would proceed with a college fantasy football offering after Major League Baseball Advanced Media lost a suit in which it claimed ownership of statistics [...]

By: Tony

Tony — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:19:02 +0000

Of course, the big thing in all of this is probably that the NCAA just wants to figure out how THEY can make money with Fantasy Football.

Which, if they were smart and looked at the NFL, they’d realize all they have to do is stop complaining about things like CBSSportsline, and watch college football grow to new heights as more and more people play college fantasy football.

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:49:02 +0000

Excellent Web link, Sir Whoopass. I haven’t seen that photo before.

By: SirWhoopass

SirWhoopass — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:05:02 +0000

The NCAA could lean on a renegade conference or a few schools, but if most of the schools decide they just don’t care, then I think the NCAA is stuck. The schools won’t sit for having their athletes suspended over a bunch of nonsense.

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:39:49 +0000

That’s a good point. I’m not sure about that. Though even if you are right I think the NCAA could probably lean on the conferences, if it really wanted to.

Right now CBS has the SEC, which by most accounts is the top college football conference year in and year out.

Even that said, though, there are limited networks for a lotta college teams. Maybe there’s less leverage there for the NCAA than I was originally thinking.

By: SirWhoopass

SirWhoopass — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:08:43 +0000

Don’t the conferences and schools have more power on the tv contracts than the NCAA does, in general?

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:56:36 +0000

Right. I think the MLB lawsuit established that the statistics “just are.” I agree with you on that. I was saying that the NCAA could GET sued if it tried to enforce its eligibility rules on players whose names are displayed in fantasy games.

Where the NCAA wields power is in its ability to dole out TV contracts – I could see the association at least trying to minimize or eliminate CBS from its future college football contracts if CBS follows through with its plans.

But if ESPN and Fox and other fantasy companies follow through I think any leverage the NCAA might have is weakened. Who knows. Interesting times as far as this issue goes.

By: FFExaminer

FFExaminer — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 23:06:29 +0000

If the NCAA sued, it would be like a company suing TV stations for running stock tickers. Nobody owns statistics. They just ARE.

By: MLB Advanced Media lawsuit affecting college fantasy football | BrushBackPitch.com

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:32:48 +0000

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