It’s practice — not a match or a game — but practice!
She had to have yelled that while being dismissed.
Golf reporter Stephanie Wei lost her PGA credentials after she used mobile live-streaming app Periscope to show golfers teeing off in practice at TPC Harding Park last Monday. The association revoked her access “for the remainder of the season” on Wednesday.
I understand the Tour has certain rules and regulations in place to protect their broadcasting partners, but this was a Monday (which I also now understand is technically during the tournament week). However, I was unclear with whether it conflicted with broadcasting rights since the practice rounds (to my knowledge) are not televised, nor was the somewhat raw, alternative footage I was showing. It was truly meant to spread fanfare for the Tour, its players and the event.
Fans — people who don’t have credentials — can Periscope until the cows come home, but the media is prohibited from providing the masses that don’t have the privilege of attending the event with fresh, interesting and different content. If I’m the Tour, I would encourage the media to use their access to Periscope during practice rounds as often as possible from Monday to Wednesday.
PGA Tour chief marketing officer Ty Votaw didn’t see a difference, telling Golf.com that when Wei posts “unauthorized videos, she’s stealing.”
The PGA still doesn’t get it, and I don’t believe they want to.
Wei, 32, is one of the youngest reporters on the golf beat. A former college golfer, she left a job in the financial world to start her blog.
Mostly every other sports league or entity wants their product to streamed or shared in type of fashion. The PGA should never complain again about searching for the cool — hip fan.