European Ryder Cup Captain made his Solomon’s Choice pick of three wild cards yesterday leaving Major Champions previous winners and former World number one golfers on the sideline but he did what he had to do and goes to Gleneagles at the end of the month with a strong team.
The players themselves though will need to avoid not only hazards on the course but also the digital media restrictions that are to be imposed by the management of the event.
Up to 250,000 fans will travel to Gleneagles, some of whom having paid nearly €2,000 for the privilege. They will though be incommunicado while on course, at least if adhering fully to the rules.
They state that “Images taken with a camera, mobile phone or other electronic device cannot be used for any purpose other than for private and domestic purposes. You must not sell, license, publish (including, without limitation, via Twitter or Facebook or any other social media site) or otherwise commercially exploit photographs.”
Prohibited
In fact the taking of any photograph during the three days of competition is expressly prohibited and will be punishable by the removal of the device.
Rory McIlroy’s 2 million followers on twitter then need not expect a flow of shots from behind the rope or in celebration of a hoped for victory.
He has some history with shots posted from his Open Championship win and it has become such an integral part of many fans experience at big events that it will be a real challenge to police.
If you’ve not snapped it and shared it you might as well not have been there is the feeling among a generation of fans for whom life is lived through social media.
Rights
The reasons for the ban are numerous with players concentration held up as the primary motivator but in reality it is much more to do with the slicing and dicing of media rights.
The same battle is being waged, for much higher stakes in the Premier League where media outlets like the Sun newspaper charge to see immediate goal clips but which are being undercut by Vines taken at the ground by fans and shared instantly.
Legal challenges are likely to be brought during the course of this season, aimed at protecting rights. A by product of a successful clampdown may be that fans watch again through eyes rather than lenses.
Pleaded
That was the wish of Kate Bush when she pleaded with fans on her comeback concert tour not to be preoccupied with capturing the moment and enjoying it instead.
After all you can always buy the officially licensed merchandise picture that will be a higher quality and still evocative reminder of your day. They will be the shots taken by professional photographers like Billy Stickland of Inpho whose business is based on capturing the moment for media, sponsors, rights holders and the public.
It might not be as spontaneous as something you grab on the iPhone through bobbing heads and into the sun but the battle between what is approved, what can be sold and what the public wants has a long way to go.
In fact it makes the trouble Paul McGinley had in picking his team quite simple after all.
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Image Credit Inpho.ie
