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WSJ amusingly flaunts NFL no-text zone

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We reported here a few weeks ago about the silly ban by the NFL on the press tweeting or textcasting a game from the press box. Fair enough, they can do whatever they want, since it is a condition of the press credentials the league issues. Ban or no ban, we see the Wall Street Journal had a staff member blog the Titans—Jets game from 3,000 miles away with “minute-by-minute analysis.” Writer Peter Sanders even makes it clear, in a thinly-veiled snub to the league policy:

I will not be enjoying this game from the raucous bleachers (or even the press box) at Giants Stadium or in a Nashville sports bar. Instead, through the magic of the Internet and the lightning-fast signals of CBS Corp., I will be able to track this game from the comfort of my couch in sunny Los Angeles.

That should not diminish, however, your reading experience.

That said, I’m sure that the Wall Street Journal isn’t the first, nor last, major media outlet to blog or text a game live. However, the author’s point of blogging from the left coast, in spite of the ban, shows the absurdity on trying to keep the facts of the game exclusive to the established media partners. Coincidentally, the blogger is also writing from the largest city without a league presence.

Ben Austro is the editor and founder of Football Zebras and the author of So You Think You Know Football?: The Armchair Ref's Guide to the Official Rules (on sale now)

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