NCAA wants to control everything

A reporter for the Louisville Courier-Journal was kicked out of the press box while covering Sunday's super regional between Louisville and Oklahoma State for blogging.

The reporter, Brian Bennett, was providing updates of the game, something we at The Times occasionally do as well (Mudbugs games, Independence Bowl). An NCAA official approached him and said that blogging from an NCAA Championship event is against NCAA policies.

The rep revoked Bennett's credential and booted him from the press box.

The NCAA didn't say a word about blogging when Bennett did it for the regional or the super regional's other games. And, he wasn't the only one blogging in the press box. Other reporters were doing it. I know, that defense runs into the whole "If your friends jumped off a bridge..." but the fact remains they weren't kicked out for their actions.

The NCAA's justification is that blogs are considered a “live representation of the game” and any blogs containing action photos or game reports are prohibited until the game is over.

Huh? If the game is televised, how current is a blog going to be anyway? If TV has exclusive rights to a game, then how is posting a blog or photo on a blog several minutes after the event occurred considered live representation of the game?

The NCAA is one giant bureaucracy that has become too money-hungry and needs to focus its priorities on what it claims to do - protect student-athletes.