MLB: Screw the fans, there's money to be made
For the last three seasons, I have ordered the MLB Extra Innings package. I did this at a considerable expense, but it was worth it, especially during the spring, when I had a chance to watch teams I don't normally see.
Plus, I am baseball-crazed.
But this season, I likely won't be able to get the package. MLB has made a deal with DirecTV to only make the package available there for the next seven seasons.
This is in many ways deja vu. I get Time Warner Cable, and it didn't carry the NFL Network (still doesn't). That meant I couldn't see NFL games. I wrote letters, wrote a column, and did what I could, but the two rich sides didn't care about me or countless others. They didn't make a deal, and a whole season passed.
Making $100 million means more to MLB than catering to the fans. That's not a shock. Still, it is a slap in the face to fans like me. We have dealt with player strikes, competitive imbalance and steroid scandals.
We keep coming back because we love the game.
MLB doesn't care about us, their most hardcore fans. I know that.
But it's still depressing.
If that's not depressing enough, it appears our best chance of stopping the deal is Sen. John Kerry.
We're doomed.