8 votes

Why these six baseball teams still won't let you watch their games online

14 comments

  1. [7]
    Qis
    Link
    Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, and the Washington Nationals all have (as of yet) limited or no streaming options and are...

    Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, and the Washington Nationals all have (as of yet) limited or no streaming options and are purportedly losing viewership.

    Please title your posts to subvert clickbait. It is preferable that we would all read the links before jumping into the comments, but this is not a good way to start a discussion.

    11 votes
    1. [5]
      cfabbro
      Link Parent
      I don't see this title as clickbait at all. Listing all 6 teams in the headline would be rather long.

      I don't see this title as clickbait at all. Listing all 6 teams in the headline would be rather long.

      8 votes
      1. vakieh
        Link Parent
        Title, no, but definitely the post body should have some more details.

        Title, no, but definitely the post body should have some more details.

        5 votes
      2. [3]
        Halian
        Link Parent
        “MLB: BAL, COL, LAD, PIT, SEA, WSH still not on streaming bandwagon”

        “MLB: BAL, COL, LAD, PIT, SEA, WSH still not on streaming bandwagon”

        1. [2]
          cfabbro
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          Or... people could just read the first second paragraph of the article and then would know exactly which six teams it was referring to. And then after that, they can read the rest of the article...

          Or... people could just read the first second paragraph of the article and then would know exactly which six teams it was referring to. And then after that, they can read the rest of the article so they can get a sense as to why those six teams likely still don't stream their games, which was presumably the point of the article.

          1 vote
          1. alyaza
            Link Parent
            meta point: the fixation of people here on what constitutes clickbait sometimes really does feel off base. i would say about half the time people call something clickbait, it's not really...

            meta point: the fixation of people here on what constitutes clickbait sometimes really does feel off base. i would say about half the time people call something clickbait, it's not really clickbait. like, it's not inherently clickbait to ask a question in the title of an article or to not have the article title reflect the immediate point of the article, but people seem to treat every case of those things that they don't like as clickbait regardless of the merit of the accusation, and it gets somewhat silly.

            2 votes
    2. mbc
      Link Parent
      Also, this is only a problem for people in-market. I can watch all of those teams' games via MLB.tv since I don't live in any of these teams' markets. This is nothing new.

      Also, this is only a problem for people in-market. I can watch all of those teams' games via MLB.tv since I don't live in any of these teams' markets. This is nothing new.

      1 vote
  2. [7]
    TurdFerguson
    Link
    Trying to reignite my interest in baseball since moving to LA. Was a big Yankees fan as a kid and it's fallen by the wayside since about 15 years ago. Dodgers are huge here so I thought it would...

    Trying to reignite my interest in baseball since moving to LA. Was a big Yankees fan as a kid and it's fallen by the wayside since about 15 years ago. Dodgers are huge here so I thought it would be a great way for me to assimilate and have some camraderie with friends here.

    Got an MLB.tv membership through T mobile and thank God I didn't have to pay for it because I was blindsided by the blackouts. I cut cable moving here and find it infuriating that I have no way of watching the games except via VPN, which I've now hooked up thanks to the recent VPN thread.

    Anyway, it's been a really great way to push out new fans.

    2 votes
    1. [2]
      boredop
      Link Parent
      /r/mlbstreams has been a reliable method for me over the past few years.

      /r/mlbstreams has been a reliable method for me over the past few years.

      4 votes
      1. RapidEyeMovement
        Link Parent
        I use the college version of this for basketball and football, and it keeps me connected to my team. I would LOVE a legit away to be able to watch all my teams games since I moved out of my home...

        I use the college version of this for basketball and football, and it keeps me connected to my team. I would LOVE a legit away to be able to watch all my teams games since I moved out of my home state, but with games being split between ESPN, traditional Broadcast Networks, and Conference Streaming, there is no one service I can subscribe to, that will allow me to see all the games.

        1 vote
    2. [4]
      asteroid
      Link Parent
      The Dodgers broadcast situation is horrendous. It doesn't help you to know this, but you're in the worst possible situation. Well, except for people who are in regions ostensibly "covered" by...

      The Dodgers broadcast situation is horrendous. It doesn't help you to know this, but you're in the worst possible situation.

      Well, except for people who are in regions ostensibly "covered" by cable and thus blocked out, even if there's no way to watch the game. Say, someone in Utah. It's a while since I looked, but there was an article a while back identifying a generally rural area where residents had 5 teams they could not watch.

      2 votes
      1. [3]
        TurdFerguson
        Link Parent
        Yeah I think it's Iowa or somewhere that the zones overlap? But yeah. I was pretty bummed seeing that we have one of the worst situations here. And I don't buy the argument of streams eating at...

        Yeah I think it's Iowa or somewhere that the zones overlap?

        But yeah. I was pretty bummed seeing that we have one of the worst situations here. And I don't buy the argument of streams eating at ticket sales, but I'd be interested in seeing research if true.

        1 vote
        1. [2]
          frickindeal
          Link Parent
          "I think I'll watch the game," vs. "Let's get everyone together to go to the game. Let's order tickets, pay for them, plan times to meet or get the family ready, head out to the ballpark, pay $20...

          "I think I'll watch the game," vs. "Let's get everyone together to go to the game. Let's order tickets, pay for them, plan times to meet or get the family ready, head out to the ballpark, pay $20 to park, $8 for a hot dog (times four or five if you're with your family) and $12 each for a beer or two, watch a game for 3-1/2 hours, buy souvenirs/programs/etc. for the kids, pack up and head home, sit in traffic for an hour, finally get home well past your kids' bed time, with a wallet lighter by probably well over $100, possibly $200 depending on tickets."

          Yeah, watching at home and cheering on my team keeps me from buying tickets all the time.

          Instead, if I get excited about the team because I'm watching games, I might want to share that with my family by taking them to a game. In the mid-90s, it played out exactly that way in Cleveland. The Indians were suddenly good, like really good. This city flooded that ballpark and set a record for sellouts that I believe still stands. If no one had seen those games at home to get excited for the team, how would they end up at the games? Word of mouth? Hardly an impetus to spend that kind of money.

          2 votes
          1. TurdFerguson
            Link Parent
            Excellent points all around. We do have the advantage now of watching "live" play by plays via the Internet, which can still pique interest, but completely loses the pressure of the game that...

            Excellent points all around. We do have the advantage now of watching "live" play by plays via the Internet, which can still pique interest, but completely loses the pressure of the game that makes baseball baseball.

            1 vote