ESPN, L.A. Times Bloggers Rejected At Mavericks Game

To test Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban's ban on bloggers from the locker room, True Hoop's Henry Abbott and the L.A. Times' Andrew Kamenetzky last night joined the Dallas Morning News' Tim MacMahon in American Airlines Arena for the Lakers-Mavericks game. Kamenetzky writes Cuban would not let him in the Mavericks locker room. Kamenetzky: "To be more specific, his goon wouldn't let me in. ... When I showed up at the door and showed my credential, I was immediately greeted with, 'Hold on a second. You've been asked not to be in the locker room.'" Kamenetzky was "offered the chance to speak with" Mavericks Dir of Basketball Communications Sarah Melton, who "came out and ... discussed the situation." Kamenetzky told Melton that "Cuban is both abusing his authority and not being honest about why he's doing it." Kamenetzky also notes he "wasn't given the individual log-in code each member of the media receives when they pick up their credential in order to access the arena's wireless network," and by the time he "managed to track it down, the first quarter of the live blog had elapsed" (LATIMES.com, 3/19). Abbott also was rejected from the Mavericks locker room and wrote on his blog, "I asked the PR staff as soon as I got here if I would be allowed in, so there were no surprises." Abbott: "I still haven't met anybody who tells me they understand or believe Mark Cuban's explanation of how the blogger ban came to be. Everyone here expects the league will have the next move. It's their language on the back of the credential" (ESPN.com, 3/18).

PACERS OFFER ACCESS: Pacers blogger Cornrows, who posts on the blog Indy Cornrows, wrote the team has been "nothing but accommodating and friendly," including allowing him into the team's locker room after Monday's Knicks-Pacers game. After telling Pacers.com's Conrad Brunner he was going to attend the game, Brunner "responded by offering to set me up with a media credential." Cornrows: "I asked if I could go in the post-game locker room. As he did all night, [Brunner] treated me like any other media member. As long as I went in there to work, no problem" (INDYCORNROWS.com, 3/18).

BLOGGERS PART OF THE LANDSCAPE: In Baltimore, Bill Ordine writes the "bottom line is that digital journalists, bloggers included, are quickly becoming more a part of the reporting landscape." Ordine writes Cuban on this issue is "stupid. Or silly. Or hypocritical." Cuban "has a point in that the universe of people who consider themselves citizen journalists is growing exponentially, and clearly not all are entitled to the privileged access that legitimate news gatherers have enjoyed. But deciding who gets into a press box or a presidential news conference has always been an issue of logistics" (Baltimore SUN, 3/19).

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