Less than a month after launching his Web site, Univ.
of KY (UK) C Jamal Magloire has "closed down operations" on
the site at the suggestion of head coach Tubby Smith,
according to Jerry Tipton of the LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER.
UK Basketball Publicist Brooks Downing: "Until further
review, you won't see that site operational." Smith "made
no secret of his misgivings about Magloire launching a Web
site," as he "wondered aloud" about the messages Magloire
might receive after a bad game. Magloire decided to shut
down the site "after meeting with" Smith and UK Compliance
Officer Sandy Bell. Though Web sites for college athletes
"are not unknown," the NCAA has begun "policing the
Internet." NCAA Publicist Jane Jankowski: "The only time
there might be a potential problem is when there is
commercial advertisement on the site." But Magloire's site,
which was launched in October, contained no ads. Magloire
said that he started the site to "give interested fans an
insight into his personality without the filtering provided
by the media," and the site "looked to be popular," as it
received about 4,000 hits one day last week (LEXINGTON
HERALD-LEADER, 11/21). The NCAA's Jankowski told THE DAILY
that this was the first instance that she was aware of when
a college athlete was asked to remove a Web site even though
it was in compliance with NCAA rules (THE DAILY).
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE: In Milwaukee, Don Walker writes
on the launch of Anna Kournikova's site, www.kournikova.com,
and notes that as "pro athletes look for more ways to
generate income and hone their image beyond the reach of the
prying media and their fans, they are turning to personal
Web sites on the Internet" (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 11/23).
