The Numbers Game: The NBA v. Motorola, Real-Time Statistics, and the Rise of Online Fantasy Sport
2021; Routledge; Volume: 38; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/09523367.2021.1876670
ISSN1743-9035
Autores Tópico(s)Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology
ResumoThe online availability of sports statistics has helped fuel the massive rise of fantasy sport during the past 25 years. But this possibility was almost stopped in its infancy. By the mid-1990s, as the media landscape evolved to incorporate new web platforms, online sports statistics became a key battleground between U.S. content owners and content distributors. In 1996, the National Basketball Association sued Motorola, America Online, and Sports Team Analysis and Tracking Systems (STATS) for broadcasting real-time score updates through internet-enabled services. The NBA argued that statistics offered a representation of the game itself and were therefore the league's rightful intellectual property. When the NBA eventually lost its case against Motorola, the consequences would irrevocably change the sports media landscape. Real-time score updates were allowed to be posted on websites without leagues' consent, facilitating an explosion of online fantasy sports and related statistical content. Media companies such as ESPN and Fox Sports became leaders in the fantasy sport business. As a precedent-setting court case, NBA v. Motorola thus serves as a pivotal moment in the history of online fantasy sport and, in turn, highlights the relationship between sports statistics, media regulation, and the multi-platform media possibilities of fantasy sports.
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