The Constructivist passed along a link to this Jon Show piece from the Sports Business Journal yesterday.  It contained a lot of good and positive information about the Tour's future.  It also contained a one-sentence paragraph which caught my attention immediately:

The LPGA also is expanding its reach with nontraditional media, announcing this week that, for the first time, it will credential bloggers unaffiliated with major media outlets. 

Over at Waggle Room this afternoon, Dianemarie linked to this document detailing the LPGA's Blog Policy.  As I expected, the Policy lists a set of criteria that they would prefer an applying blogger to meet.  Items such as a site's visitor traffic, previous relevant journalism experience and duration of the blog covering professional golf top the list.

This is a HUGE step towards the acceptance of blogging into mainstream sports media.  To my knowledge, no sports entity has ever regularly credentialed bloggers at their events and most of them scoff at the notion.  In case you hadn't noticed, the news media already has assimilated bloggers and blog content into their programming and most sports media have taken to posting their correspondants' "blogs" as part of their web content.  The final piece - taking a portion of the general public who have established a voice in their particular sport and inviting them into the fold - is necessary and inevitable.  Take note out there in the blogosphere - the LPGA is taking a revolutionary stance in the sporting community.

I imagine one fear those entities have had is that every Tom, Dick and Schapp who has posted ten words on the subject will apply for credentials and flood the media facilities.  Anybody out there can start a blog.  Hundreds - probably thousands - of people has launched sports blogs.  I stumble across them all the time.  In the vast majority of cases, the blog starts off with a few promising posts but then the excitement wears off for the blogger or real life intervenes.  The posting stops and that Favorite gets deleted from my IE bookmarks.  Even SB Nation has had a blog or two peter out after a few weeks.  My point here is that the sports organization doesn't have to allow media access to its events and players to just anybody who calls himself a blogger.  They can put requirements on the credential application and turn down those who don't qualify.  The LPGA just set the first standard for those kinds of requirements.

Not that I'll be able to take great advantage of it.  My "regular job" and family obligations prevent me from taking off more than a couple weeks a year to attend LPGA events.  At first glance, the Navistar tournament near Montgomery would be my best opportunity.  The Navistar organizers are probably cringing at the thought of that.  The only two events I've previously attended - the 2006 Florida's Natural and the 2008 Ginn Tribute - did not survive to the following seasons.  I'm not sure they can handle that stigma plus the travesty of a Hound Dog hanging around the media tent.  Back on topic - I will rarely get to take advantage of the new policy more than once a year and I expect The Constructivist to be in a similar situation.

This is where YOU can make a difference.  If you have contemplated blogging about women's golf (or have already started), you now have extra incentive.  Being credentialed gives you the chance to ask questions of players or officials during press conferences and to request interviews more easily.  Having that opportunity in Charleston last May would have added much to my on-site reporting.  If you don't believe you have the time or ability to sustain your own blog, it may be possible to acquire a credential under the auspices of another blog (like Hound Dog LPGA, Waggle Room or Mostly Harmless) and post reports as an associate.  The Tour's Policy doesn't specifically rule out such an arrangement.  If a dozen or so bloggers scattered around the world can get credentials to an event or two each year and share the fruits of their access with the others in the bloggy community, the result could be an "Associated Press" type of coalition from which we all could benefit.  Bill Jempty has Florida covered, I've got the Alabama-Georgia-Carolinas region, TC has New York State and maybe Pennsylvania, and you other guys cover your areas or pitch in with ours if they overlap.

Just sayin'.  Either way, I'll certainly be looking forward to that first credentialed event (assuming I'm acceptable enough for one) and any others I get the chance to attend.  I hope you'll give it a try too.