Putting Any Yankees Playoff Game on MLB Network is Ridiculous and Offensive
By Ryan Flores
Game 1 of the ALDS between the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees was played on Friday, with the Yankees winning 10-4. Unfortunately, many fans had a great deal of trouble trying to watch the game.
MLB Network had the exclusive rights to the first game of the series, with the remainder of the series being televised on Fox Sports 1. This was problematic as many fans don't have access to MLB Network, especially those in Minnesota who had Comcast, as the cable provider did not want to provide a free trial of the channel at first.
Comcast is excited to make MLB Network's free preview available to its Twin Cities customers in time for Friday’s Twins-Yankees playoff game. Video customers can watch MLB Network at no additional cost thru 10/11. Just say, “watch MLB Network” into the X1 voice remote. GO TWINS! pic.twitter.com/GcaTJAwSEm
— Comcast Twin Cities (@ComcastMSP) October 2, 2019
Ultimately Comcast gave in and provided a trial period so that fans in Minnesota could watch the game. Regardless, it's incredibly upsetting MLB would do this to their fans.
What makes this all the more insulting is that the most storied sports franchise in America is not getting the game on a local channel. Plenty of Yankees fans were unable to watch the game on Friday night because MLB opted to forgo the obvious opportunity in front of them--to place one of their biggest audiences on a major cable channel. Instead, many were stuck with finding streaming options or going through the frustrating sequence of paying for a more expensive cable package.
MLB putting a postseason game featuring the most famous sports franchise in America on a station lifelong fans don’t have access to is an absolute embarrassment.
— Justin Termine (@TermineRadio) October 4, 2019
With other professional sports leagues like NBA and NFL hosting their playoff games on basic cable, it just seems greedy to rob the fans of a great playoff game. Shame on MLB for doing this.
To take a huge game away from one of the biggest fan bases in America is just sad. Postseason baseball is a thing of beauty, with the Yankees forever as a centerpiece (for better or worse).