Earlier I laughed at Nats fans who were complaining about the start time of tomorrow’s playoff game. But I’ll acknowledge this much: it’s ok to complain some. I mean, it is kind of annoying when your team gets stuck with a game you can’t watch. Shucks. Darn. That sort of thing seems quite alright.
The problem is when it goes beyond a mild complaint and turns into some entitlement-based outrage. I mean we can all agree, can we not, that it’s not a violation of some fundamental right or a transgression of ethics or human decency for a playoff game to be on at 1PM, right? Oh, wait:Of course, this is tremendously unethical and unfair to the thousands of DC residents who are unable to afford to attend the game or afford the high cost of cable and satellite service (not to mention the additional costs for MLB Network). This migration of sports to pay TV is particularly troubling given the massive public subsidies, tax exemptions and antitrust exemptions we’ve given the leagues. By moving games — particularly playoff games — to pay TV packages and forcing fans to spend even more money to watch games, the leagues are abusing that relationship.
MLB should allow DC 50 or one of the local stations to retransmit the MLB Network feed of tomorrow’s game immediately.
If you feel that way, go join the fight. Alternatively you could wake up and realize that Major League Baseball is a business that has been operating this way for as long as anyone can remember and don’t act so surprised and outraged. And that there is no way on Earth that baseball is going to give up an MLB Network broadcast to free TV simply because some Nats fans are upset.
Bonus question: Nats games are on cable (MASN). If Nats games on cable are such a violation of societal norms, why weren’t you fighting this fight a few years ago?
