FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[jamtod]

First off, I do not have a twitter account, so this is all I can see from the link supplied by GoldAndBlueBU: "Because you banned us from the grounds for enforcing our photo license policy on you. #caughtredhanded"

This is not a sentence and only muddies the waters for me. Even if I wasn't a BU supporter, it looks like because of policies written down someplace important, and someone did not know of said policy, when asked to comply, they did, but begrudgingly. We all know ignorance of the law is no excuse, as I am sure some lawyers that follow this thread will attest to. That they complied speaks well of them. What's not evident is the manner in which compliance was enforced. Were there arrests? Were cameras and equipment confiscated? Is this simply a misunderstanding that has gotten more attention than needed? I don't know, and to speculate only churns the waters.

I would have thought that sports photographers would contact the appropriate authorities before the contest to get the "press badge" which allowed for said activity. Not doing that beforehand, if that's what happened, and then getting "caughredhanded", doesn't give you much of a defense, regardless of how the policy was enforced. Hmmm, all that from one non-sentence - I'm sure there's more, but this is probably the crux of the conversation.

Right - like I said, I'd be interested to hear the full story / facts from both sides.  If it is as Pat seems to imply (as I read it), then perhaps BU was using d3photography images for their articles without permission / license purchase?  If BU's response was to stop using the images and use in-house photos instead, but then also ban d3photos from campus simply because they got called out, then that's poor.

I'm guessing Mr. Coleman will chime in, but maybe not.

Not using them. Selling them on their own resale site in pretty blatant violation of the express license which is on every email from those guys to schools.

That's as much as I want to say in public, but it happened, an athletic staffer in position to know admitted to it, and the university declined to make good.

+k for a forthright answer (not that Mr Coleman feeds on good karma like the rest of us do)

In Paul Harvey fashion, what's the "rest of the story" on the Bethel press box? As spacious as the UST one?

[Retired Old Rat]

I've been tempted to use this one a few times lately:

Well, the jerk store called, they're running out of you.

[DuffMan]

What's the difference, ROR?  You're their all-time best seller.

[Retired Old Rat]

What's the difference, ROR?  You're their all-time best seller.

No soup for you!

[stanbob]

Stanbob, are you ever going to make it to a game?

I've been back in Minnesota for almost 11 years now, hard to believe I've only made it to one game.

[BDB]

None of you guys are masters of your domain. 

[faunch]

Believe it our not i was checking something in regards to MIAC volleyball when i noticed a link to this item which was posted today:
https://www.miacathletics.com/general/2019-20/releases/20191021or8qg6

[Pat Coleman]

Yes, well, for having the temerity to challenge the university on their abuse of the photo license, d3photo was banned from campus.

We are not d3photo, of course, but we license their photos (legally) for use across our sites. Last year, when I needed someone to shoot the NCAA's first-round football playoff event on Bethel's campus, I was unable to get a d3photo shooter credentialed, even though postseason events are the NCAA's event, rather than the university's. For what I did to get a photographer into that game, I was also made to understand I was no longer welcome to cover games on Bethel's campus. So, functionally, D3sports.com is banned from campus (next-nearest D3sports.com staffer/contributor is in Cincinnati).

I did not let that dissuade me from attending Bethel's Week 1 game vs. Simpson, which I watched from the sidelines. I did not bother to request press box space, since it was made clear to me it would be not granted.

Frankly, banning two entities from campus because the university wronged one of them, and not the other way around, is pretty ... well, petty, let's say. And after d3photo spent the better part of a year trying to get satisfaction from the university, without success, they went public. So I did as well.

The university has deep pockets, which d3photo does not. Legal action isn't really feasible. However, I know personally, having had multiple SIDs from schools across the MIAC talk to me about it, that the other schools know about it and find it ... let's start with unethical. So do members of the local media.

And so be it. There's the story. Not a whole lot d3photo can do at this point.

[OzJohnnie]

Dang.  Are you sure you aren't talking about UST?

[jamtod]

Dang.  Are you sure you aren't talking about UST?

About the deep pockets part? Since we compared Bethel to a '95 Civic earlier.

If UST is a Lamborghini. What's SJU?

Better yet, what's Concordia? Something that was hot in the 80s, still occasionally fun to drive, but breaks down under pressure.

[repete]

Yikes, Pat, that is horrible ... and terribly shortsighted by the folks at BU. I know photographers battle constantly against folks who either don't value or don't care about photo rights.

Beyond that, withholding credentials is purely bush league.

Would the league office have any influence?

[Retired Old Rat]

Thanks for posting that Pat. I've been aware of the situation for some time but did not think it was my place to share.

I remain baffled by Bethel's response. Or, mostly, lack there of.

[OzJohnnie]

Believe it our not i was checking something in regards to MIAC volleyball when i noticed a link to this item which was posted today:
https://www.miacathletics.com/general/2019-20/releases/20191021or8qg6

Nice find.  Man, today is a complete loss.

This was interesting to me:

1.5 Competitive Parity
Identify opportunities to enable all teams to be competitive and ensure conference rules and philosophies aid in helping the top teams move forward nationally.
Oversight: Competition Committee Timeline: 2020-22

Overall, it looks pretty professional and ambitious in terms of making the MIAC a leading conference not only in national competitiveness but also in the advantages of membership.   Good stuff.  Not going meekly into the night.

[GoldandBlueBU]

Pat - that stinks.  I'm disappointed to hear about how they've handled things from start to finish.  I'm not going to pretend to be some sort of big shot alum who has heavy influence, but I have had several conversations with Dr. Barnes (whether he would remember me by name is another question), and I'll be reaching out to him to share my feelings.

Bush league indeed.  They need to be better.

[DuffMan]

None of you guys are masters of your domain. 

I'm out!