I'm not a big sports fan, so it's easy for me to say this, but I think we should boycott the MLB and NFL until they get their heads out of their backsides and realize they can't control the media like this without repercussion.
philadelphiaphotographer
· 2 months ago
I'm sorry, you guys are all idiots. You expect every major company in the world to subsidize your entertainment. They have a good video that you want to watch? Great, link to it and watch it on their site, where they can monetize it so that they can continue to afford to produce the content we all enjoy.
Who the heck do you guys think will be around to create the content these people pirate to "go viral" as if that's something special.
Do you really think the MLB gets excited about some viral video of a fan? No way. Its a business. Grow up kids. Sometimes things in life cost money. Hosting high quality video on the internet is one of those things.
kevinarth
· 2 months ago
I can't say I'm very concerned about the profits of MLB, and many companies have found ways to offer content like this without such restriction and still make money in the process. They're trying to cling to an old business model and I think they're going to learn, eventually, that there's a better way of doing it.
The music industry tried to use DRM to restrict access to their content. It took them a while, but they eventually learned that being so restrictive hurts both them and their customers. Go to iTunes or Amazon now and see how much music is now non-DRM. You'd better believe they're still making money or they wouldn't be doing it.
Sorry. Can't agree with you here. I think they should join us in the 21st century or risk going the way of the silent picture.
patrickeb
· 2 months ago
I guess this is the very issue that so many people misunderstand.
There is a new social activity in the world - sharing. It the company nothing to allow people to share it. They can still use it however they like and allow people to immediately join in.
I've stopped watching football (soccer to those in the US) since the great majority of games are only on some form of pay TV. I watched it as a kid and played. I would arrange everything around the games on the TV.
The only reason it's on pay TV is so the clubs etc can earn even more money to pay even more money to themselves and players etc. I don't begrudge people earning a living, but restricting access has certainly driven away people and reduced support for teams - and no, I'm not the only one who thinks this.
Many commentators in Britain and Europe also believe that crowd support for local teams has been adversely affected without any benefit to the viewing audience.
This is just another example of greed and grasping self-interest.
justin999
· 2 months ago
Haha… cute. And you know what. It didn't hurt me to go to the MLB site. Thanks to the internet everyone thinks everything is FREE or FREE TO USE. What's wrong with protecting your creation and profiting off of it? You can still link to their site. What's the harm?
patrickeb
· 2 months ago
Except you CAN'T see it so easily!
I'm in Australia and their site is CRAP, with a capital C, that rhymes with P which stands for stupid idiots who are merely trying to generate a little extra profit while annoying the PUBLIC.
kevinarth
· 2 months ago
We, in the US, tend to forget the difficulty that non-US viewers have in viewing some content when it's restricted in this way, so thank you for bringing this up. It's one more reason I think MLB is being stupid.
kevinarth
· 2 months ago
Keep in mind, we're talking about a little girl and her father catching a ball. This isn't a game-winning grand-slam (I'm not a baseball fan. sorry if that sounds wrong). They're exploiting this truly random opportunity for a few advertising dollars.
I won't go to the MLB site for this. I'm not a fan of the sport, but I am a sucker for a cute vid. However, I won't be a part of an organization like this abusing whatever goodwill they once had to make a few extra bucks. Maybe I'm alone in this and they'll never notice, or maybe there are 20,000 others who agree and they'll see that they're being stupid. It's got to start somewhere.
Throughout history (yes, even before the Internet), companies have given away a little in order to raise brand awareness and to generally be "good people." These people are following in the footsteps of the recording industry. The RIAA and MPAA are slowly learning the lesson. I wonder when MLB will get it.
mashabledeb
· 2 months ago
Who's running the MLB? Homer Simpson?
Zak
· 2 months ago
I'm gonna go out on a limb here.... and disagree with all the MLB haters. (quickly dodges flying shoe!) Seriously though. Step back and think outside of your open source mindset just for one second and think of the potential ramifications (e.g. lawsuits) if some jackass gets ahold of the video and pulls a crude commentary out of their ass about the little girl then plasters it all over the web? I have kids of my own - I'd go ballistic if a bunch of people were dissing my little girl online because she responded just like a little kid would naturally do. I'm not even a fan of MLB - but honestly I see why they pulled it so fast. It's a simple "just in case" scenario. There are some serious assholes out there who would love a chance to prey on this little girls action. I guarantee it would be distasteful and most likely embarrassing to the family. There's not a single person on here who can honestly say I don't know what I'm talking about and that something like that would never happen. OK, enough said.
Jonathan
· 2 months ago
MLB has been doing this all season. As a sports blogger, it's incredibly frustrating. I get that they want people to watch their video, but it's not hard to add embedding to their clips. Add some ads even, we don't care. Just let people share clips of what's going on, since there are far too many games in a season for everyone to be able to watch everything. The people writing about your sport are giving you free promotion, but acting like this makes us less inclined to do so.
Lorne Pike
· 2 months ago
That's an absolutely amazing decision by MLB, and a real example of how even the largest companies sometimes just don't recognize opportunity even when it's lobbed right down the middle. Instead of giving millions of us a heartwarming reminder of how great it can be to take the family to a ballpark, they have instead locked the gate. Lost opportunity, and undoubtedly lost ticket sales.
They are trying to claim ownership of something that they should be thrilled to give to their fans. For any marketer, that's one very foul ball.
dangrossman
· 2 months ago
Exactly how does the MLB have copyright over this anyway?
MLB has copyright on it because it's from a baseball game that was recorded with their cameras and commentary. It's stupid and they're being greedy.
Name
· 2 months ago
Yes, the certainly shouldn't be allowed to produce content and then claim rights over that content, as if it was their own.
animalbrad
· 2 months ago
indeed.
Jim Eltringham
· 2 months ago
The images and descriptions of the game cannot be reproduced without the express written consent of Major League Baseball.
kevinarth
· 2 months ago
I wonder if that father has any rights over that video since it's him and his daughter who are really being exploited here. If nothing else, they deserve a cut of the profit generated from it, but I'd think they'd have the right to distribute the video as they see fit, even if that means pushing it to Youtube.
thewellbalancedgeek
· 2 months ago
Yeah, MLB fail is right. Good grief.
edcabellon
· 2 months ago
UGH, how frustrating! At least the family will get the last laugh when they go on the Today show, but seriously MLB and NFL.... get with it, you're missing out on opportunities to connect with your fans!
AndrewNoNumbers
· 2 months ago
Obviously MLB would rather miss an opportunity to connect with fans than an opportunity to make profits.
Janey
· 2 months ago
These franchises are idiots. I'd be so inspired to go to a game if I could share stuff like that on my facebook page, but, alas, I'll resort to not giving a crap about baseball. I'm buying NBA season tickets! Let's see if they can play ball and include their fans a little more.
drsyb
· 2 months ago
Control is the name of the game until companies and institutions realize there is no one left to control.
Trigeia Twins
· 2 months ago
Who ever made that decision needs to be fired what a bunch of idiots
James
· 2 months ago
Meanwhile, all the sites that posted the video have a page describing the event, but the video is useless (As it states the copyright move by MLB). Seems like a nice waste of time to all the people that wrote articles or blogs on the event, linking to the video in their posts.
Will Merydith
· 2 months ago
Another corporation that does not understand the new economy. Big surprise! :(
tkmoss
· 2 months ago
I just saw this video. Some one on facebook posted it. It is still up on Yahoo Sports
Rudy Amid
· 2 months ago
Yup, it's still on Yahoo Sports. Watch it while you still can!
Another Big Company not getting the internet and its true potential. That video would have been great for the brand image.
Name
· 2 months ago
"This day and age" presumably being one where copyright owners are not allowed to make money from their intellectual property?
How do you expect anyone to earn a living from the 'knowledge economy' if their work is worth no reward?
dangrossman
· 2 months ago
Ehrm, ticket sales, broadcast royalties and massive merchandise royalties? Letting someone clip a moment from a game that's already happened is free marketing that would help increase their profit.
philadelphiaphotographer
· 2 months ago
Broadcast royalties are exactly what this article is complaining about. You can't charge money for broadcast royalties if you give the rights away for free to youtube.
Think before you type.
dangrossman
· 2 months ago
A clip of a girl catching a ball, shared after it happened (not broadcast live), only serves to promote their broadcasts which bring in royalties.
I've thought this through, apparently you're as thick skulled as the MLB lawyers.
Name
· 2 months ago
If the MLB chooses to control where its content is viewable, it can control the advertising that is placed against it, and thus the revenue generated by that particular clip. Allowing a clip to be embedded anywhere reduces its value because anyone, anywhere might be selling an ad against it (that's simply supply and demand).
It may or may not be "free marketing", which may or may not give opportunities for profits elsewhere, but the rightsholder certainly won't have any control over how viewers use that clip afterwards. It should be the rightsholder's decision whether to explore that opportunity or not.
I don't know that's kind of a shrewd move on MLB's part. I've never been to the web site before today...(thanks to you all mentioning that I could actually view the video there) and now they have probably about 1 million + first time visitors (and that number +) in page pulls...I got hit with a netflix pop-up. So in a way its a win for them.
skyaboveman
· 2 months ago
Dude, They just don't get it. Same thing recently with the NFL. Are they charging to view the video? Do you have to give your email address. No. They make no profit from restricting the video to their site only. Arguably, it is difficult to track the revenue from allowing it to go viral but think of the possibilities.
Amanda B Dolan
· 2 months ago
My guess is the executives who are making these TERRIBLE decisions are completely old school and not willing to jump into a new age of SUCCESSFUL media. Come on guys...start listening to your recent college grads.
camkevbell
· 2 months ago
MLB Exec 1: Did you hear the news? People online are saying the video we killed could have gone VIRAL!
MLB Exec 2: Does this mean we saved the information superhighway? Hooray for us!
mnw
· 2 months ago
@Janey: MLB.com's video page has a button to post to Facebook, right there under the video.
Indeed a heart warming moment that brought a smile to my face. Unfortunately 'little' MLB does not have someone to hold on now ... because of the 'throw' they did. Their loss.
Giannii
· 2 months ago
What's kinda funny is how long it took him to realize that she threw it. ha
Wendy Clark
· 2 months ago
Not cool MLB!!! Get Social already!!!
Travis Wright
· 2 months ago
Baseball is very out of touch. They need to fire Bud Selig... ASAP... like they need to go BACK IN TIME and fire him. Where is Doc and Marty McFly?
Seriously, get a freaking salary cap... and make the game relevant again... they are sooo out of touch.
Tony Anderson
· 2 months ago
You don't have this problem with NASCAR. Well, not with fan video anyway. You take a video at the track, it's yours. But they might call you on their recorded media. At least that's been the SOP so far. And they don't try to stifle Twitter, Facebook, Myspace usage b/c teams aren't franchises so they don't have the same kind of control. Heck, some NASCAR drivers do TV shows and tweet from the sets between segments (and on reall goofball days, during segments). Laugh at NASCAR fans if you like, but no sport's fans are more in touch and have as much access. /end plug.
Batman56
· 2 months ago
Way to go MLB. When all we get anymore is bummed out depressing news you can't even share one moment of joy and laughter for the world to see. What a bunch of chumps you are. The dad and little girl should sue you if you use that video for one of your greedy promotions.
Name
· 2 months ago
I never liked baseball anyway. This is ridiculous, MLB.
Craig
· 2 months ago
Vermin stinking lawyers. Beginning and end of discussion. MLB should be ashamed.
Chris Yates
· 2 months ago
This is very typical of Major League Baseball. I have been a sportscaster for 20 years and the toughest league to deal with is Major League Baseball. They call themselves America's pastime and that is exactly what they have become "past" time. They are no longer relevant in the sports landscape. The top sports are Football, Nascar, Basketball and even Golf. One day Major League Baseball may wake up and realize they need the coverage but at that point the viewers will be watching something else and a video like this won't eve be covered.
Guest
· 2 months ago
i don't understand this and google's not helping. how can they copyright someone else's video? if i take a video of something and put it up on youtube, are you saying some organization can copyright it and prevent me from showing it? please explain. i never heard of this before.
chrisitna
· 2 months ago
Thanks MBL. I'm sure you would have lost a lot of potential $$ letting us look at this video.
Mike Campbell
· 2 months ago
MLB is right on this one. It's their cameras, equipment, and employees that captured the moment. They should be allowed to use it to drive traffic to their web site instead of to others. And I don't mind the short commercial before the vid either.
This is altogether different from restricting content created by fans such as capturing the moment on their video camera or tweeting about it. That content they should not restricted.
milkfish
· 2 months ago
Oh they're allowed all right, this they proved already. They just cannot expect the rest of us to be in love with the nasty way they did it.
Ryan
· 2 months ago
you people are all crazy, circle-jerking each other into a frenzy, over what? is this all a joke or are you guys all serious? this is the funniest string of comments I've seen in a long time, you people act as if someone has done something morally wrong. this is bizarre.
LAINEYBIRDY
· 2 months ago
How stupid is that! They SUCK! #FAIL
Ryan
· 2 months ago
Who cares? It's their broadcast, they don't feel like sharing, their loss, where's the story here? Are you crying about this because they're not allowing you to share it on some site of yours and get ad revenue from it or something? Why are we talking about this?
Timo Luege
· 2 months ago
I disagree with the MLBs decision because I think it would have been great a great marketing opportunity. However I think @Zak has raised an interesting point about comments, even if I honestly don't believe the MLB has thought that far.
What I find the bigger issue, though is that there is no embed code. If they had one, then this whole thing wouldn't BE a thing. I think most people would be quite happy to embed the MLBs version (that could even contain an ad at the end) and would understand that the MLB wants their own video to be used. The frustration comes from the fact that organization doesn't give users this possibility and no way to share this video.
The MLB could easily profited from this video and kept control over, e.g comments, by making their videos embeddable. Their failure to do so is a major oversight on their part and a missed opportunity.
Brad F.
· 2 months ago
Seems retarded to me. This could have been fantastic free advertising. Instead, they decided to restrict viewing to their site. For what? Ad revenue? Hope it makes up for lost ticket sales, and I for one won't be visiting their site to watch it. I wonder when major companies will stop being intellectual property whores and get with the times?
Brian Mays
· 2 months ago
The comments here are reminding me why I think a good bit of social media evangelists sound like they just want a free ride. Much "social media" news these days centers on who isn't letting us have something for free.
In a time when many new media companies are struggling with how to make a profit it's been reported that MLB.com has been profitable for awhile now. Maybe instead of deriding MLB.com we should look to their examples.
badgerfan1
· 2 months ago
MLB is just another CORPORATE GIANT that just doesn't get it. WAKE UP! I hope the football folks throw you back a ball that you can not catch when your ratings plummet as the football season heats up.
Cubbiefann
· 2 months ago
Way to go MLB...Way to endear yourself to the fans...$100 tickets...$7 beers...$5 hot dogs...Cheap Cheap Cheapskates....Amazing that you could be so petty...Unbelievable
Chris
· 2 months ago
This is nothing new. MLB has NEVER understood fan/user-generated content. About 2-3 years ago, they sent out cease and desist letters to all of the higher profile fan operated websites focused on hometown teams. MLB advertising and brand executives are clueless to say the least - always have been and, apparently, always will be.
Ty
· 2 months ago
When they went on strike for more $$$ they lost me forever! This is America. . .apple pie, ice cream, and BASEBALL. Well this USED to be America and baseball is crap! I hope the sport flops and major leagues become like the minors and they like college/high school.
best satellite receiver
· 2 months ago
Nice cute little girl.
levin
· 2 months ago
I also dont get how MLB can do this..... I mean arent alot of these videos that are on here taped at some event.. LIKE A BALL GAME OR CONCERT ETC ETC....I was wondering what if this fan or someone around him had their own camera going and got it and put it on here like I know that there are tons of people that have done this.... Just doesnt make alot of sense! GO PHILLY TEAMS!!!!!!!!!!
The MLB are making a huge mistake. Not only is it a heart warming video that everyone will enjoy, but it's a great way for them to further promote their brand as a family experience.
All Comments
Who the heck do you guys think will be around to create the content these people pirate to "go viral" as if that's something special.
Do you really think the MLB gets excited about some viral video of a fan? No way. Its a business. Grow up kids. Sometimes things in life cost money. Hosting high quality video on the internet is one of those things.
The music industry tried to use DRM to restrict access to their content. It took them a while, but they eventually learned that being so restrictive hurts both them and their customers. Go to iTunes or Amazon now and see how much music is now non-DRM. You'd better believe they're still making money or they wouldn't be doing it.
Sorry. Can't agree with you here. I think they should join us in the 21st century or risk going the way of the silent picture.
There is a new social activity in the world - sharing. It the company nothing to allow people to share it. They can still use it however they like and allow people to immediately join in.
I've stopped watching football (soccer to those in the US) since the great majority of games are only on some form of pay TV. I watched it as a kid and played. I would arrange everything around the games on the TV.
The only reason it's on pay TV is so the clubs etc can earn even more money to pay even more money to themselves and players etc. I don't begrudge people earning a living, but restricting access has certainly driven away people and reduced support for teams - and no, I'm not the only one who thinks this.
Many commentators in Britain and Europe also believe that crowd support for local teams has been adversely affected without any benefit to the viewing audience.
This is just another example of greed and grasping self-interest.
I'm in Australia and their site is CRAP, with a capital C, that rhymes with P which stands for stupid idiots who are merely trying to generate a little extra profit while annoying the PUBLIC.
I won't go to the MLB site for this. I'm not a fan of the sport, but I am a sucker for a cute vid. However, I won't be a part of an organization like this abusing whatever goodwill they once had to make a few extra bucks. Maybe I'm alone in this and they'll never notice, or maybe there are 20,000 others who agree and they'll see that they're being stupid. It's got to start somewhere.
Throughout history (yes, even before the Internet), companies have given away a little in order to raise brand awareness and to generally be "good people." These people are following in the footsteps of the recording industry. The RIAA and MPAA are slowly learning the lesson. I wonder when MLB will get it.
They are trying to claim ownership of something that they should be thrilled to give to their fans. For any marketer, that's one very foul ball.
http://www.parentdish.com/2009/09/16/little-gir...
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_ste...
How do you expect anyone to earn a living from the 'knowledge economy' if their work is worth no reward?
Think before you type.
I've thought this through, apparently you're as thick skulled as the MLB lawyers.
It may or may not be "free marketing", which may or may not give opportunities for profits elsewhere, but the rightsholder certainly won't have any control over how viewers use that clip afterwards. It should be the rightsholder's decision whether to explore that opportunity or not.
Are they charging to view the video? Do you have to give your email address. No. They make no profit from restricting the video to their site only. Arguably, it is difficult to track the revenue from allowing it to go viral but think of the possibilities.
MLB Exec 2: Does this mean we saved the information superhighway? Hooray for us!
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=6...
Unfortunately 'little' MLB does not have someone to hold on now ... because of the 'throw' they did. Their loss.
Seriously, get a freaking salary cap... and make the game relevant again... they are sooo out of touch.
The dad and little girl should sue you if you use that video for one of your greedy promotions.
They call themselves America's pastime and that is exactly what they have become "past" time. They are no longer relevant in the sports landscape. The top sports are Football, Nascar, Basketball and even Golf.
One day Major League Baseball may wake up and realize they need the coverage but at that point the viewers will be watching something else and a video like this won't eve be covered.
This is altogether different from restricting content created by fans such as capturing the moment on their video camera or tweeting about it. That content they should not restricted.
What I find the bigger issue, though is that there is no embed code. If they had one, then this whole thing wouldn't BE a thing. I think most people would be quite happy to embed the MLBs version (that could even contain an ad at the end) and would understand that the MLB wants their own video to be used. The frustration comes from the fact that organization doesn't give users this possibility and no way to share this video.
The MLB could easily profited from this video and kept control over, e.g comments, by making their videos embeddable. Their failure to do so is a major oversight on their part and a missed opportunity.
In a time when many new media companies are struggling with how to make a profit it's been reported that MLB.com has been profitable for awhile now. Maybe instead of deriding MLB.com we should look to their examples.
thank's.