firekirkferentz.com

[Sky]

Classy move by Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa -- If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em.

The University of Iowa has come up with a proactive method for fighting Web sites built to criticize its coaches by buying domain names.

Web sites ripping college coaches have popped up in increasing numbers in recent years. But the ongoing battle between Internet sites and athletic departments took a new twist last summer when University of Iowa officials purchased seven domain names, including firekirkferentz.com, in order to keep them off the market.

The move didn't become news until this week when, ironically, it was posted on Deadspin.com, one of the most popular blogs on the Web.

The school also purchased the domain names for potential sites about women's basketball coach Lisa Bluder, men's basketball coach Steve Alford and athletic director Gary Barta. According to Iowa associate athletic director Rick Klatt, the move was made as an extension of the school's licensing program, which protects its name, image and logo, and to protect some of its high-level employees.

Each of the site names cost $25 to purchase and $25 a year to maintain, Klatt said. Anyone who types those names into a browser is directed to the school's official Web site.

"In one sense, we're attempting to provide some level of protection to the individual," Klatt said. "On a much smaller scale, because they are all dot-com extensions, they could be commercial Web sites where people could make money off that Web site ... it just seems wrong that someone could benefit from that."

Iowa's move has raised questions of whether the school is trying to prevent its fans from criticizing its coaches, a tradition as old as sports itself. Klatt said Hawkeyes fans still have a host of venues for expressing themselves.

"There's plenty of opportunities for free speech. Letters to our director of athletics, e-mails to our director of athletics. There's multiple sites available for the fans of the Hawkeyes to express their opinions on coaches performance," Klatt said.

Though Iowa bought the rights to stevealfordmustgo.com, it missed out on one such site: firestevealford.com.

Founder Michael Handley, a former Iowa student who now works as a systems architect in Jacksonville, Fla., said he set up the site in late 2003 as a favor to a friend, who became frustrated with what he said were Hawkeye-based message boards that banned people who made negative comments about Alford.

Handley said the site now generates as many as 2,000 unique visitors a day during February and March. A lifelong Hawkeyes fan who grew up in Cedar Rapids, Handley said his site is simply a forum for discussion.

In fact, it carries just one rule: Personal attacks on Alford or other site members is prohibited.

"If you don't like him as a coach, fine, but if you don't like him as a person or things like that, you're not going to talk about that. It's all about his ability as a basketball coach, not his personal life," Handley said of Alford, whom he has never met.

These days, anyone with a little ingenuity and a few bucks could start a Web site designed to blast any coach they want. To wit, redshirted.com -- the company that sold firekirkferentz.com to Iowa -- still had 20 coach-related domain names for sale as of Tuesday.

Klatt realizes the school can't stop every Web site that may pop up, but he said that, at a cost of $175 a year, it seemed like a reasonable investment for Iowa.

"In no way is this a perfect solution to a problem that's been created as a result of the many new ways people communicate," Klatt said. "This was an imperfect attempt to provide some level of protection."

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

These are the sites they bought:
- Firekirkferentz.com
- Firelisabluder.com
- Firegarybarta.com
- Kirkferentzmustgo.com
- Lisabludermustgo.com
- Garybartamustgo.com
- Stevealfordmustgo.com

I think this is a pretty petty way to silence the critics. And honestly, there are a million different site names people could use so why buy just these seven?

Does anyone really care about women's basketball enough to start a website. And if they did start a website would anyone even visit it?

[Adelpiero]

pretty lame

[indyfrisco]

http://www.firestevealford.com/

^^^ Guess they were a little too late. ^^^

[PSUFAN]

I agree with you, Sky. Fans hoping for a change are going to start a site, the domain doesn't really matter much.

mustgo.com sites are a part of the coaching landscape from here forward. Acting like you are frightened of them doesn't really help anyone - they just bolster the determination (EASY, PrimeX) of the potential site creators.

[Killian]

I know NDNation bought up every variation of "firecharlieweis.com" they could think of when he was named coach.

I agree that fans should have a voice, but I don't really agree that fire.com sites are the way to do it. Every school has a rivals and scout board for general bitching about games, coaches, etc. As much as I think Ron Zook is a shitty coach, I don't think they need that added pressure.

I understand that it comes with the territory. But if a schools alumni base and fans really want to be heard, a stupid site is not the way to do it. A grass roots movement with major donors threatening to withhold money is a way to go. As much heat as ND took for the C4C letter, it worked because it was done effectively. Willingham's failures were outlined, but not the specific reason for the letter. The letter was signed by 400+ alumni (I belive Terry put his name on it) and was printed and distributed to the ND BOT at their annual meeting. ND also then sent a copy to ND friendly press outlets and the ground swell started.

[King Crimson]

it's a fight you cant win....or would want to win, who cares?

the multitude will always get over.... and still mean nothing.

the http://firekirkferentzsitethatUIwillbuy.com or firecharlieweisdonuthead.com mutations can go on into near infinity. it's a waste of taxpayer money that could be spent on schools or some shit.

[buckeye_in_sc]

^^^^^^^

or building Cal a new stadium...