The no fun league strikes again, and this time it’s an absolute doozy.
In an attempt to monopolize videos and highlights pertaining to games, the NFL will now fine teams for posting too many videos to their social media accounts.
You read that right, individual teams will now be fined between $25,000 and $100,000 each time the league deems that they have violated the video distribution rules.
“We’ve obtained a memo that went out to all 32 teams reflecting that, starting Oct. 12, clubs are subject to a new fine schedule for exceeding the limits on video and any moving content.”
These rules are specifically strict during the lead up to games and as they games themselves are being played.
As of right now, teams are largely limited to re-posting from the league’s own account and through a couple other avenues approved by the NFL.
First time offenders will be fined $25,000 with a second offense warranting a fine up to $50,000. For those who commit a third offense, the fine will be up to $100,000 and a potential loss of the right to actually post league-owned content.
This is just the latest example of the NFL attempting to completely control video of the product itself.
When the league decided to post videos to YouTube two years back, it prevented websites from actually embedding the videos on their sites. There’s also been a major issue regarding the social media account Vine.
That’s one thing. But strictly prohibiting the use of video content that teams are able to use is absolutely ridiculous.
It speaks to a mindset that many in the general public have had an issue with in the past. And in reality, there’s no room in professional sports for this.