The NFL Bans Tweeting. I’ve Decided I Love Twitter.

Who says Twitter does nothing important?

For the record (again), I think Twitter is one of the silliest things, ever. It adds very little to anyone’s life, almost anywhere, and is really only useful as a marketing tool.

Now: everyone please sign up for a Twitter account, and show the National Football League what you think of them.

If you’re not a sports fan this may mean nothing to you, but if you’ve ever watched sports on TV or listened on the radio you’re familiar with the phrase “unauthorized use of the pictures, descriptions and accounts of this game without the express written consent of . . .” . Now, Twitter will be the test ground for what that really means. Facebook, too.

The NFL, notoriously aggressive in protecting their assets (ever notice how commercials always refer to The Super Bowl as “the big game”?), has issued rules that prohibit players and basically anyone associated with players from tweeting, not only during games, but for 90 minutes after games end.

If this were about on-field conduct, I could see it. But it isn’t. The NFL is literally trying to prevent anyone from speaking (OK, typing) in a way that might lower the resale value of broadcast rights for their games.

I think I want to go watch a football game at a bar, stand outside and tell passers-by what’s happening, because that’s what talking about a game on Twitter or Facebook amounts to.

Chad Ochocinco? Terrell Owens? Are you listening?