Sports Authority

By: dmc-admin//March 9, 2009//

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Anyone who has ever tuned in to a professional sports broadcast had heard the line “any rebroadcast, reproduction or other use of this game without the express written consent of [insert league here] is prohibited.”

But who has the authority to determine how high school sporting events in Wisconsin can be broadcast online?

That is one of the questions raised in the lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) against newspaper magnate Gannett Co., Inc. in Portage County.

As someone who previously spent the better part of a decade covering high school sports in Wisconsin, the WIAA became increasingly protective of its product, especially post-season tournaments.

But the organization is not the NFL or MLB, so can it ultimately prohibit a proud parent sitting in the bleachers from capturing their child’s athletic achievements on video, than post it on YouTube to share with relatives?

That’ll be up to the judge to decide.

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