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Andrew Kamenetzky, half of the brotherly duo that travels with the Lakers and covers the team every day for their L.A. Times-owned blog, was denied access last night to the Dallas Mavericks locker room after the Lakers win last night in Texas.
When I showed up at the door and showed my credential, I was immediately greeted with, "Hold on a second. You've been asked not to be in the locker room." The security guy literally recognized my name on the spot, which normally would be flattering but tonight was simply annoying.
A week earlier, AK had posted an open letter to Cuban, skewering the owner's decision to suddenly ban all bloggers without regard to their quality, audience size or whether they write professionally.
Certain people have business brewing in the locker room, while others may desire that access, but either don't need it or haven't earned it. And at the risk of sounding like a snob, I should be in the Dallas' locker room and a guy who created an absolutely killer Mavericks blog in his spare time shouldn't. Why? Because this is my job and that's his hobby.
This is admittedly a tricky issue for teams, but one that's not going away as mainstream media outlets cut back their good sports coverage and serious fans increasingly turn to online sources for sharper analysis and inside stuff.
Somewhat related: This is more of a rights issue, but a UCLA student who was banned from live-streaming the NCAA games in Anaheim will get a credential, but not to report live. Tom Hoffarth at the Daily News has been all over it.