Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
So the SEC backed itself into a corner after weeks of officiating outrage by announcing that any coach who suggested the refs in the league were anything but perfect robotic paragons of justice would get a fine or a suspension. This was probably a good idea after even Vandy's Bobby Johnson got uppity.
Then Urban Meyer, spurred by the firestorm over the Brandon Spikes eye-gouging extravaganza, had a complaint or two about chippy play from the Gators, most prominently an obvious unnecessary roughness call on Tim Tebow after a handoff:
"That should have been a penalty in my opinion," Meyer said. "Obviously, it should have been. You've got to protect quarterbacks. That's the whole purpose. It's right in front of the referee. I'm not sure how they're going to handle that, but ... that was one of the plays we did send in."
He has now been fined a cool $30,000. All's well that ends with an obscenely rich person getting a token fine, right? Not if you're the SEC, which is attempting to stop a tide:
XOS Technologies Inc., which has a new contract with the Southeastern Conference and starting this year is policing the use of the league's video, is clamping down on fans who have been feeding the fire over controversial hits in last week's Georgia-Florida game.
Several hits from that game made it onto YouTube and other sites. But XOS has apparently acted fast. The UGA hit on Tim Tebow has been taken down from YouTube. Asked about it, an SEC official said the video should not have been posted or linked by media.
That's what you get instead of the now-pulled video. It's been replaced by "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by XOS Technologies, Inc."
So not only is the SEC going after an obvious case of fair use, they're scolding members of the media who dare link or reference the newsworthy information contained therein. The Spikes gouging, on the other hand, is still on youtube. There are at least six versions of it. Congratulations on "acting fast," XOS. You have successfully not prevented anyone from seeing Tebow get lit up by a Georgia player, nor have you prevented anyone from seeing Brandon Spikes impersonate the Bushwhackers.
The SEC's decision here is as inconsistent as it is nonsensical, and points to a really annoying future where any newsworthy SEC event is going to get thrown up on YouTube and linked all across the web, at which point the video will be pulled after a bogus DMCA claim and everyone's old posts will be broken. Enterprising bloggers will save copies of the video and re-upload it everywhere; someone will find a crazy Russian video site that doesn't care about American copyright laws and all of our videos will come with ads for famine and vodka.
(HT: Get the Picture.)
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
7 comments
Comments
Just my opinion, but the SEC & Slive’s repressive tactics are doing some serious credibility and fair-play damage to the conference.
There definitely appears to be an officiating problem—actually a major one with lots of bad calls deciding games with alarming frequency
These tactics of fines and gag orders make the conference look bad—alienate the coaches and fans (a very bad idea)—-and if it goes on long enough, this trend could actually kill the goose that is laying the golden eggs for the SEC—-big money & big bowl games.
This looks like a battle of super-ego’s where Slive is trying to dominate the other huge ego’s of Meyer-Saban-Miles-Spurrier-Kiffin etc.
It’s a dangerous game of "chicken" and so far I think it is hurting—not helping— the SEC as a conference.
by CollegeFootball#1 on Nov 6, 2009 9:02 PM EST reply actions
Unfortunately, bad officiating seems to be present in all of the major conferences. For whatever reason, the overall quality of officiating in football, baseball and basketball is deteriorating. Rather than going into the denial mode, the powers to be need to make every effort to address the problems. Humans are always going to be subject to mistakes, but the sheer volume of missed calls has become alarming. Each sport deserves better and fining coaches isn’t going to fix the problem.
by ex35 on Nov 6, 2009 10:12 PM EST reply actions
Its becoming more and more obvious college football Div 1 is tainted. There is just to much money involved now. Looks, like it might be time to check out the subdivision where there is less money and a playoff.
by SailorGabe on Nov 7, 2009 8:26 AM EST reply actions
I expect the SEC to remove every video of every late hit, every eye gouge, every roughing the passer, every holding, every facemask, and every video of a fan picking their nose. This is getting ridiculous.
by ALL_KNOWING on Nov 7, 2009 9:43 AM EST reply actions
The SEC probably will have 4,5 or 6 or more replay officials so they can check everything quickly and sanitize it before its replayed…….Heck, the Facists and Nazis and Socialists and Communists and our housing markets did it, censor any and all that displays they are not perfect….. hide the TRUTH…. Now XOS Technologies and the SEC can JOIN that great group of CENSORS……
players get there number called for a mistake, we are human so WHAT is the problem with showing officials they are human too and make mistakes…… PLUS this one displayed an act that could be criminal………so now they control evidence…….Oh yes I forgot, you can throw Slive into that group also….
by kraal2004 on Nov 7, 2009 11:21 AM EST reply actions
The schools need to rethink that contract extension for Slive….
by gatorUSMC on Nov 7, 2009 3:48 PM EST reply actions
Heil Slive!
Mike’s doing a better job than Charlie Chaplin of imitating The Great Dictator. Slive’s draconian tactics are reminiscent of The Fuhrer at his Nazi worst. Hopefully, his shenanigans will prompt all the SEC coaches not named Urban Meyer to do whatever it takes to get him fired before he ruins the entire conference.
by BarefootSerpent on Nov 7, 2009 4:20 PM EST reply actions
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