Appeals court sides with fantasy baseball company

ESPN

CDM went to the mat after MLBAM jacked up licensing prices (after buying out the Players Association’s rights) for fantasy content. This federal appeals court unanimously agreed that the players’ names and associated stats are news information and can be used by fantasy gamers without a license. It seems like an obvious conclusion, but you never know.

The ruling should free innovators and entrepeneurs to get back into the game, though how stifling the consolidation of the last few years was remains to be seen. This is good news for everyone, including MLBAM (though they don’t know it yet).

Vick takes class in respect for animals

Yahoo! Sports

The course was given by PETA, the funloving group of animal lovers who abjure publicity. Dan Shannon, PETA publicist said: “We made it clear to [Vick] that this was something he needed to try to get something out of. We weren’t interested in some kind of PR ploy.”

The source for this story is clearly PETA, which isn’t a problem. Just funny.

Funloving, funny, prone to show pictures of slaughtered animals. It doesn’t quite add up. I agree with PETA about our need to recognize when we’re hurting animals. As a society we’ve shunted the abatoir into the shadows. We eat meat, but we don’t often think about what that means, for the dead meat or us.

PETA is constantly finding ways to dramatize what it means for us humans and the animals we like to eat (or fight) because Ingrid Newkirk and Dan Shannon are most excellent PR people who are putting their passion to their skills. This story about Vick is part of that practice, and it doesn’t bother me at all.

Not until they start messing with my local cockfight.

Judge: Fantasy leagues allowed to use MLB player names, stats – MLB – Yahoo! Sports

MLB – Yahoo! Sports

My opinion is that this will was the rational conclusion, and it will also prove to be the best one for the fantasy sports business and the leagues, too. MLB has plenty to sell beyond the stats and names, and they will benefit because the grass roots development of leagues and games won’t be squelched before they start.