Major League Baseball has constantly been looking to grow the game in any way possible. And yet, MLB has continued to institute their asinine blackout restrictions to broadcasts, making it nigh on impossible for certain regions to watch certain teams play.
The league has taken notice as numerous regional sports networks are falling apart. As reported by the Sports Business Journal, the league has hired Billy Chambers in an attempt to determine what to do with regional media rights as MLB seeks to have more control.
MLB may actually do something right for once
With those aims in mind, the league is reportedly looking into the creation of a national product that would also include those regional rights as part of the Extra Innings package. This would mean an end to those blackouts, allowing fans to watch their favorite team regardless of the region they live in.
Those blackouts have been an ongoing source of frustration for fans. Some of the rules do not make any sense, with areas without a major league team, such as Iowa, blocked from multiple teams’ broadcasts. Common sense certainly did not prevail when it came to those rules.
Common sense would also say that the blackout rules as a whole are terrible when trying to grow the game. Getting to the ballpark is not feasible for a large portion of baseball fans due to distance and ticket prices. Watching those games on television is the best, and easiest, way for fans to stay connected.
Maybe MLB is finally starting to realize this. Maybe, after all of these years, the outcry over the regional blackout rules has finally gotten through. The league might actually do something right for a change when it comes to the fans and remove these asinine restrictions.
The asinine MLB regional blackout rules may be coming to an end. Major League Baseball might actually do something right for their fans for once.