Should photographers wear "ads"? We say no

A rash of scandals isn't keeping big-time sports from picking fights with the media that cover them.

The most recent example is the National Football League's plan to require press photographers covering games to wear red vests bearing the logos of Reebok and Canon. Presidents of the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), the Associated Press Managing Editors (APME) and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) quickly denounced the idea, saying photographers would be like walking billboards on the sidelines. The vest idea is so bad it could be in the script for a sequel to "Jerry Maguire." I'm just making this up, but the main plot line could be about a big sponsor (say Reebok) that stops selling the jersey of a star player (say a quarterback) accused of something illegal and disgusting (say dogfighting). Hard to imagine, but who knows?

Anyway, Tom Cruise as Jerry comes up with this brilliant idea to put the sponsor's logos on press photographers' red vests. As the TV camera pans the sideline, Jerry shouts "Show me the money!"

The logo vest idea comes just weeks after the NFL announced new restrictions on press use of audio and video clips from training camps and locker-room interviews. Meanwhile, the NCAA is trying to prevent reporters from blogging live reports to their Web sites, something that already is banned at golf's Masters Tournament. They fear blogs compete with their own live broadcast coverage.

Seattle Times Sports Editor Cathy Henkel sees these actions as just the latest example of commercialism consuming sports, like putting product names on bowl games and stadiums. "You just never expected it to be slapped on your body," she said.

In the Internet world, sports franchises increasingly see themselves in an evolving competition with the media that cover them.

"The leagues have their own Web sites and fan magazines. They are trying to monopolize their product. They want to maximize their financial return and control the message," Henkel said.

The press isn't pure of commercial motivation in all of this because newspapers are trying to stay financially viable. We build our circulation with sports coverage, and advertising revenue is tied to circulation. When the Mariners are hot, our single-copy sales go up. When the Seahawks went to the Super Bowl, we saw a spike in circulation and advertising.

Sports teams and the media are in a symbiotic relationship. News coverage helps sports franchises build their fan base. "Leagues on their way up understand that," Henkel said.

Karen Magnuson, president of the APME and editor of the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat & Chronicle, reinforced the idea of working together in a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "We view it as a win-win situation for both the league and its fans, who also are our readers. But the working press should not be incorporated into the marketing apparatus of the NFL and its individual teams. It compromises our objectivity, our independence and our ethics."

SPJ National President Christine Tatum, an assistant features editor at The Denver Post, said, "For the sake of the almighty dollar, the NFL is clearly willing to compromise press freedom and independence. The League should be ashamed."

Rod Mar, Times sports photographer extraordinaire, took a philosophical attitude to the dispute. He'll let the editors argue the policy, and he won't let a logo vest compromise his ability to do his job serving readers.

"So far, they [the NFL] are not dictating in any way, shape or form how I cover the game. If the vest is on me, it's not in any of my pictures," he said.

Mar said the "corporate creep" in all sports has made it hard to avoid commercial messages in the background of game photos, including the nameplate of The Seattle Times in various sports venues.

"This just adds another level to the challenge. If I produce an eye-popping picture, people will notice that longer than a logo."

Some years ago, photographers were pushed back 3 feet at Qwest Field so that television cameras could move along the sideline. "That was a bigger issue for me," Mar said.

He said he doesn't want his ability to apply his journalistic instincts to be compromised. He is concerned that teams will try to dictate coverage to the person on the field and dictate how we can use pictures.

(He added that the Seahawks have never once complained about a photo, or even hinted at an attitude of "We'll give you access, but you need to make us look good.")

Times Sports Editor Henkel said she, too, is especially concerned about increasing attempts to limit how the press can cover sports and use the material it gathers. "That I find to be very, very disturbing. I never thought we would get to this point."

Limits on access to players and coaches already are making it harder to get enterprise coverage and independent stories.

"People understand the need for an independent voice, independent of the leagues. We're not paid by sponsors to write it a certain way. Fans will be upset if that independence is lost," Henkel said.

I hope she is right about that, but I'm less sure after reading Jerry Brewer's column in today's Sports section.

Despite performance-enhancing drugs, athletes behaving badly and even a referee accused of betting on games, Brewer writes, "Fans recover, always."

Inside The Times appears in the Sunday Seattle Times. If you have a comment on news coverage, write to Michael R. Fancher, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111, call 206-464-3310 or send e-mail to mfancher@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists