Shocking Confession: Sports Writer Admits Live Blogging College Basketball

Louisville Courier-Journal sports writer Brian Bennett was kicked out of an NCAA baseball game on Sunday because he was blogging about the game live, which the NCAA says is a violation of its policies.

But now it turns out that this horrible trend of journalists using the Internets to provide fans with information about NCAA sporting events is more widespread than previously known. One of Bennett's colleagues at the Courier-Journal, Eric Crawford, confesses today that he blogged during the NCAA basketball tournament's three Lexington regional games.

I know ignorance is no excuse, but that's what I'm pleading. I was naive enough to think that the NCAA actually wanted exposure for college sports.

Yes, that is pretty naive. I hope someone at the NCAA reads what Steve Johnson of the Chicago Tribune has to say, as Johnson makes a point that is probably obvious to everyone except the NCAA:

Bennett's writing was in no way competition to the official telecast or radio cast. No college baseball fan would choose reading a blog over watching or listening to the thing itself.

You'd think that would go without saying, but you get the feeling that the NCAA will need to hear it said many times before the message gets through.

Previously at FanHouse:
NCAA Violating Common Sense, if Not First Amendment
When Dealing With Online Rights, Bloggers Are in a Gray Area
NCAA Clashes With Louisville Paper on Baseball Blog
NCAA Kicks Blogger Out of Baseball Game