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Post OK to buy a prospect, not OK to buy video of that prospect

Friday April 8, 2011

Team Speed Kills cites an announcement by the NCAA’s Bylaw Blog that schools may no longer subscribe to Rivals.com or any subscription service that “provides video of nonscholastic competition that is not available to the general public.”

Year2 at TSK is correct that this looks like a reaction to the “scouting service” stories that have popped up over the past couple of months. While a $100/year subscription to prospect film and interviews might aid a program in scouting and recruiting, it’s really not close to an individual shopping around exclusive access to a prospect. Most of these services have affiliates which are credentialed media at the individual schools, and that relationship isn’t likely to change. The “nonscholastic competition” – exclusive combines, workouts, and even all-star games – likely won’t go away either thanks to the demand for content by the recruiting-obsessed fans that fuel these sites.

The NCAA’s rationale is curious. Any content on Rivals, Scout, or other subscription site is available to the general public; the public just has to pay for it. Comp subscriptions would be an issue, but if a coach has to pay the same rate as any other subscriber for Rivals’ content, I don’t quite get the problem. Good to see though that one of the great problems facing college sports has finally been settled.

I wonder if it would be kosher if the prospect can claim that he didn’t know his video was being purchased.

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