FanHouse

Two days after word first broke that the Toronto Maple Leafs were moving to ban mini-digital video recording devices from their locker room, the team has finally announced the rationale behind the decision. As John Lashway, senior vice-president of communications for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment told Brian Milner of the Globe and Mail: "It comes down to the fact that I don't want to see naked images of my players on YouTube."

I'm afraid that Lashway's explanation has left me, someone who has been using a mini-digital video recorder in both NHL and MLS locker rooms without incident for the past couple of months, a little speechless. So while I collect my thoughts, I'll let you in on what others are saying at the moment.

My FanHouse colleague, Jon "J.P." Press, had another suggestion: "Have your players wear, you know, towels." Good on him, as I'm always happy to see somebody come up with a low-tech solution to what some have sized up as a high-tech problem.

James Mirtle: "There go my plans for my media credentials. Besides, everyone knows Leafs TV has exclusive rights to naked Leafs pictures - isn't that why they charge what they do?"

Then there's Beau Dure of USA Today's Sportscope -- a reporter who has stood side by side with me in the D.C. United locker room more times than I can count while I recorded interviews -- in a note he sent me this afternoon: "I can sympathize a little with athletes who find they can barely find space to change clothes. But shutting off your camera isn't the answer."

Bingo. I'm happy to concede that the continuous march of technology and the growth of new media are presenting some interesting challenges for the folks in sports PR. As I've written before, despite the fact that bloggers think that the answers are obvious doesn't mean they are to everyone else.

Then again, that doesn't excuse people in the business for not keeping up with the technological changes and coming up with innovative solutions that everyone can live with -- solutions that in the end will do nothing more than enhance coverage for fans and help promote the continued growth of the game.

Previously on FanHouse:
Maple Leafs Say No to Digital Video