ESPN and MLB are no longer national TV partners after this season. They “mutually agreed” to opt out of the final 3 years of their deal, per a letter obtained by The Athletic – Evan Drellich.
What a monumental moment, and the end of an era. After 35 years, ESPN will no longer provide MLB coverage, with both sides electing to opt out of their TV rights contract three years early. This means no more Sunday Night Baseball, Home Run Derby, Baseball Tonight, or Wild Card games. It’s quite devastating, because at one point, ESPN was a great spot for the MLB. I would tune in every night to Baseball Tonight to get recaps around the league, Web Gems, etc. It was a fun program.
However, there is no doubt that the coverage of the league has taken a back seat to the NFL and NBA over the years. Especially because ESPN has heavily shifted its focus to daytime talk television, rather than highlights and stories from around the sports world; and those talk shows love to focus on the aforementioned NFL and NBA. Stephen A Smith, Pat McAfee, etc. they know nothing about baseball. Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, who makes regular appearances on First Take, knows quite a bit of baseball, and I have a lot of respect for him, but a lot of times his takes are antiquated and not really in line with the modern fan.
Although the report was originally said to be a “mutual” parting, Rob Manfred expressed his concerns in a memo that was obtained by The Athletic. “We have not been pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN’s platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage,” wrote Manfred. If this is accurate, it’s a huge win for Manfred. He has been on the hot seat for a couple years, and has made changes to the game (the pitch clock, pickoff rule) to accelerate the pace-of-play in hopes of gaining a younger audience. The Yankees-Dodgers World Series was a big win for ratings, and now Manfred is going to try and find a home where the MLB will get the attention it deserves. I respect him pulling the plug.
As someone who consumes a lot of baseball, I feel I can speak for fans when I say the lack in coverage from major networks has been frustrating; and having to listen to people who know nothing about the sport try and give opinions on stories, that their producers force them to talk about because its in the contract, makes things even worse.
What was hilarious to me was how, only a few day prior, ESPN announced that Joe Buck would be calling his first MLB game since 2021 on Opening Day this year for the Yankees and Brewers. Fans have been longing for Buck to return to the booth for a ball game, and just as it happens, it gets stripped away.
This is a monumental moment for MLB. Manfred needs to show the owners that this was the right decision. He needs to show them that he can put more money in their pockets, and continue to grow the league. Amazon, NBCUniversal, Netflix, and CBS parent company Paramount are all reportedly in the mix for the rights to MLB.
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