Baseball and Baseball Fans
I must confess that I’m not a baseball fan though having lived in Green Bay, WI for a few years, I certainly have a deep appreciation for passionate fans and how difficult fandom can be when one doesn’t live in the local market any more. I can say that I did cheer for the Red Sox when they finally won their World Series … you know, after so many years, ya gotta cheer for the underdogs and all.
At any rate, JK blogger Beachmom wrote a diary about Major League Baseball’s effort to remove the Extra Innings package from cable tv and offer it exclusively through DirecTV and what it means to baseball fans and one Red Sox fan in particular. I think she summed it up pretty well so I’d like to share an excerpt with you.
First the story:
Baseball TV deal contested MLB is trying to move Extra Innings package exclusively to DirecTV, but there’s resistance. ... For five seasons, MLB’s Extra Innings has offered up to 60 regular-season, out-of-market games a week on cable, through the In Demand service, as well as DirecTV and Dish Network. Under terms of the new deal, DirecTV reportedly would pay $100 million a year over seven years for the rights to the package. In Demand reportedly had offered $70 million a year to retain Extra Innings.
So if you have DISH or cable, you would be forced to switch to DirecTV, or in cases where satellite is not possible, you’re plum out of luck. I think Salon summed it up best:
Dear best customers, Screw you. Love, MLBWell, fans all over the country are mighty mad: <!
Michael Abramowicz, 34, of Arlington, Va., is a law professor at George Washington University who gets Extra Innings on cable. He talked about the pending deal in a blog last week. “My reaction to this has been genuine sadness,” he wrote. “Watching baseball games is my No. 1 hobby, and my house can’t get DirecTV because of nearby trees. It did occur to me that if I chopped down my neighbors’ trees, I would probably do a year in jail, which would leave me six years to enjoy the games.” Reached by phone Friday, Abramowicz said he would switch to DirecTV to keep Extra Innings if he could. Ryan Hecht, 34, of Queens, a Time Warner Cable subscriber and a die-hard Dodgers fan, is in the same situation as Abramowicz. Reached by phone Friday, he said, “I’d switch to DirecTV if I could, but my landlord will not let me install a satellite dish.”
Folks down in Florida, one of the biggest transplant states in the country, are equally livid:
It is an especially big deal in Florida, where so many people are from somewhere else. More than 5 million customer homes have cable TV service in the state. “Major League Baseball is showing how it really feels about its fans,” said cable customer Ed Shroeder, who lives in central Florida’s Lake County. “It is ignoring all the fans that have moved to Florida. I will no longer be able to watch the Red Sox and Orioles on my cable company, Comcast.”
But one Boston Red Sox fan, who conveniently is a United States senator, wasn’t going to take this, and sprung into action:
One of those already annoyed is a U.S. senator, John Kerry of Massachusetts. He wants to see the Red Sox while in Washington, D.C. “A Red Sox fan ought to be able to watch his team without having to switch to DirecTV,” Kerry said. Kerry took the unusual step of asking the Federal Communications Commission to investigate a deal that has not yet been announced.
But it wasn’t just for himself. Red Sox fans tend to be loud and noisy about their baseball:
Kerry, in his letter, said, “In the case of my hometown team, Red Sox Nation stretches all across our country from coast to coast. I am concerned that this deal … will separate fans from their favorite teams.” Kerry could not be reached by phone Friday, but Vince Morris, a spokesman, said the senator is taking up the fight not only because he is a Red Sox fan but because people had been approaching him, seeking answers. “He wants to find out more facts and find out what the FCC can do,” Morris said.
Two days ago, however, the situation looked grim, with the deal close to being finalized. And, then, suddenly, the FCC has responded and will investigate! Hurrah for baseball fans everywhere (press release from yesterday):
Kerry Gets Promise from FCC to Investigate MLB-DirectTV Deal FCC Chairman gives Baseball 30 day deadline for report WASHINGTON, DC – Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) announced today that he has received a commitment from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to complete a full investigation of a proposed $700 million television deal that could deny many consumers the ability to watch their favorite teams. Under the terms of the proposed deal, Major League Baseball’s “Extra Innings” package would only be available to people with DirectTV – potentially affecting as many as 50 million American viewers by making it hard or even impossible for them to subscribe to the service. Kerry first raised questions about the deal earlier this month, after hearing complaints from many fans who were concerned that they would suffer if the deal went through. The promise for the investigation came from FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, in a letter to Kerry that was received today. “This is great news and I appreciate the quick response from Chairman Martin,” Kerry said today. “It’s good to know that he also has concerns about a deal that has the potential to deny choice to so many consumers – all apparently in the interest of a short-term profit for Major League Baseball. I look forward to hearing a full response from the league and from DirectTV, and I remain open to working with them and other colleagues on any and all plans that further options for consumers and make it easier for all of us to enjoy our national pastime.” In his letter to Kerry, Martin wrote, “I share your concern regarding this proposed deal,” and promised that once the FCC received a full briefing on the deal, it would report on “the implications for consumers and any recommended changes to the law to ameliorate any harms to consumers.”
It ain’t over, people, but this is a very good development.
Thanks for that wrap-up, Beachmom.
5 Comments
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You are right Beachmom it’s not over yet but when Senator Kerry entered the sentiments of baseball fans all over the country and demanded some answers, people took notice and they were happy that he did.
This is all about FAIRNESS but to the corporates it is all about money, heck with the people. I know my son and his friends deeply appreciate what Senator Kerry did. It is nice to see the people’s voices being heard through that of a politician who really cares about them and yes baseball too.
Way to go, Sen. Kerry! I am a Mets fan living in Massachusetts. Before I got Extra Innings it was almost impossible for me to catch a Mets game on TV. Last season, my wife (a HUGE Red Sox fan) got Extra Innings for me as a birthday present and I loved it. Imagine! Working like a dog all day but being able to go home and watch a Mets game. Awesome! I finally got the chance to really introduce my 3 young kids to the Mets and tell them stories about how I used to watch them on TV with my Dad when I was growing up on Long Island. Is MLB really so out of touch with its fans, and so IN TOUCH with its greed, that it would kill my ability, and the ability of many others, to enjoy their team and share the game with the next generation? I hope not.
Keep up the fight, Sen. Kerry!
There may be Mets fans and the Red Sox nation, but there is nothing like a diehard cub fan for sheer mania and going the distance. Like dragging spouses across the country to cities otherwise holding no interest, just to get a glimpse of another lost game, in the heat, watching it like a video game because good seats always go to the seasons holders.
All this less bang for the buck, because we’ve been deprived of watching Cubbies on TV. Not all cable stations get the superstation, and not all locales get DirectTV.
With so much unAmerican activity going around, like approving of torture, wielding the imperialistic club, dissing the first amendment, the corporate big guys, who profit too much already, want to take away America’s pastime.
Thank you, Senator, for once again putting people first.
I’m with Stephen, it’s all about unadulterated GREED!! When one is a baseball owner, GREED IS GOOD; in fact, if you really look at how some of these teams are managed, cash comes first, then winning comes second - it’s almost like a business right off for some of these people - it drives me old.
Anyway, Violet, you coming from Wisconsin have been exposed WAY to much to the Brewers - a poorly owned and managed team for way to many years; and who is the commissioner of baseball today? None other then Bud Selig, former lousy owner of the lousy Brewers. Gee, what a surprise.
Now just who was that Bozo that use to have a business interest in the Texas Rangers…
As a die hard Cubs fan, I can attest to Marjorie G’s accurate post. The Cubs, or as many of us lovingly refer to them, the “Stubs”, make one feel like we are in the middle of a never ending marathon.
My brother, who lives outside of Illinois, has gotten his daughter hooked on the Cubs (sounds nearly as serious as a drug habit). When they heard that they would have to buy equipment and a subscription to watch the Cubs, I knew that the Cubs were at risk of losing some of their staunchest supporters. Imagine that multiplied by several milliion. Baseball can only imagine the several millions of dollars that they will get as a quick payback for this short sighted deal.
Baseball is a game of the “people”. It always has been and always will be, as long as the greedy owners realize that this short term gain will eventually kill the public’s interest in this sport.
For John Kerry to be leading the fight to get us out of Iraq and also leading the fight on this issue, clearly demonstrates that he is a man of the people.