MLB doesn't get it
By Jason Meserve on Thu, 05/31/07 - 5:47pm.
Major League Baseball seems to have its head stuck up where the sun don't shine. According to a post on Engadget, MLB's Advance Media arm that runs MLB.com, is considering a lawsuit against Sling Media. Why? MLB thinks Sling Box helps violate some of the geographical-based rights deal baseball has signed with broadcasters. Really, it's about money and future rights deals with "higher margins."
Here's what they don't get: Because I have Sling Box at home, I end up watching MORE baseball, not less. I can watch the Red Sox games here at my desk at work, on the road in a hotel or where ever I happen to be. If all I had to watch was some random game on TV, particularly when holed up in a hotel 3,000 miles away from home, I wouldn't watch at all. NESN, home to Red Sox baseball, should be thrilled that I am watching more of its programming live - meaning I am not skipping ads.
MLB Advance Media will argue that if I want to watch baseball games online, I should pay for its service. Why bother? they blackout the Red Sox in my area. Plus, I already pay for cable, which gives me all 162 games.
Shouldn't sports leagues encourage fans to watch its teams instead of discouraging them?
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"Shouldn't sports leagues
"Shouldn't sports leagues encourage fans to watch its teams instead of discouraging them?"
You assume that there are such things as "sports leagues". Baseball and alike are no longer sports in the classical sense. Baseball is part of the entertainment industry. MLB feels that if someone is entertained then they should pay for it.
This is why I baseball players strike'd before. They saw the "paint on the wall" years ago and rightfully they should be paid as such. They are not athletes like you would think of a Olympic athlete. They are more like the WWF or what ever then call them selfs now.
Not being a sports fan anymore, I'm not sure if the MLB blackout's follow the same logic as the NFL blackout's being that the game must be sold out in order to televise a game. If so, they you have your answer to your question, greed.
MLB Doesn't Get It
The only thing I can add to what you've already said is if they want to broaden the fan base, the key is to make it affordable. I would love to buy the cable package or even online games, but it just costs too much. We don't all get to live in MLB cities.