Posted on 02/21/2025 4:28:14 AM PST by Libloather
It appears Major League Baseball will be off ESPN’s airwaves after the 2025 season.
The two sides “mutually agreed” to cut their national television deal short after this year, according to a memo from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, via The Athletic.
Manfred has “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,” according to the memo.
The league and network had a March 1 deadline to opt out on a deal that would’ve extended their partnership through the 2028 season.
ESPN will continue to broadcast the 2025 Home Run Derby, Sunday Night Baseball, its wild-card round games and other MLB rights through this season.
The parties could still reportedly come to terms on a new deal, though Manfred noted the league is talking to “several interested parties.”
ESPN, who currently pays MLB $550 million per season for broadcast rights, was recently looking to revise the current deal, The Athletic reported earlier this month.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I grew up playing baseball, from age 9 thru 19, then in the military from 19 thru 41, it was baseball plus fast pitch softball in my Army days. I umpired baseball and officiated football and basketball at the military level, high school, semi-pro baseball and a few Jr. college games. I was a baseball junky. But now, I could care less for baseball. Cannot stand the current players and game. I don’t even watch college football or the NFL much anymore. Simply am bored by it all. When a 45- to 75-year-old man gets all upset by an 18-year-old high school player jumping commitments for college, hey get a life dudes!! As for the NBA channel also known as ESPN, they can go to hell. I hate ESPN and I am one who watched ESPN from the first week they were on back in the day. Berman and Tom Eves (or however his last name was spelled; the guy who I think drowned swimming I think) were really good. But now, all it is, is the NBA or college leagues even out of season. Just grew tired of getting mad at some guy I would ever meet, screwing up. I could do that at work. And, who wants to watch a bunch of mega millionaires play and me funding their lifestyles. Nope, sports no longer rule my life. At my age, you find your time important and not wasting it on that stuff. Just one guy’s opinion.
I love baseball, but I’m not paying $16+ to watch my local team.
Tom Mees drowned.
Great, no more 8pm EST Sunday night games.
Start all the east coast games at 4pm on Friday & Saturday.
**To: DIRTYSECRET
What’s DH?.............**
**To: DIRTYSECRET
Designated Hitter**
Close....
2018
I suspect everything will move to MLB.TV, and you will purchase packages to watch your team.
Okay, thanks.
I haven’t watched baseball since Mickey Mantle retired...........
Lol. Well which is it?
They have just got my $29. per month. Hope it helps.
Looking forward to watching Spring Training Games from today.
ESPN is no longer a Sports Network.
Its like MTV ceased being a music network decades ago
The problem the MLB has is too many contracts and not enough oversight by the league to get the best games on one of the national contracts. I remember a few seasons ago when Shohei was on a path to get most home runs and lead the ERA race, something that hadn’t been done since Ruth. So I wanted to watch Angels games, especially if he was pitching, go looking around the cable dial... nobody nationally showing the Angels game. The best most interesting story to happen to the sport in literally 100 years and they couldn’t get the games away from the Angels’ local broadcaster and onto national TV.
If you’re ESPN you don’t need that in your life. Why should they spend time and money promoting the game when they can’t get the interesting games on their network? Guarantee those games would have had the best of the season, might have even beaten the World Series... except they didn’t get that chance.
out of market isn’t worth it for me, or doubling price essentially by adding VPN so I can watch “from” Australia
I’ve done MLB Network for a the last few years, but I’m thinking of dropping it. Too many big games not available to include the playoffs. Maybe dropping ESPN will help?
Where they lying?
Watching insufferable ESPN broadcasts was impossible for me. 90 percent of the MLB games I’ve followed have been radio broadcasts. I like the Reds and we have a good radio crew.
It will be a difficult season for Brewer’s radio fans.
Always been my contention that Baseball is a radio game. It moves slowly with brief instances of easily describe-able plays. Granted, TV gives the visual, but radio has the charm—its an afternoon nappable sport. Frankly, I always loved listening to the Giants on the radio...Hank Greenwald in the 80s was the best, but Lon Simmons, and Russ Hodges were great with Russ’ “Bye Bye Baby”
Hank wouldnt let the game interrupt a good baseball story and if it was a double header—Hank would come loaded for bear with enough material to take us through.
I remember my first in person game. Dad and Granpa taking ten year old me to Candlestick Park—1966 against the LA Dodgers. All the Willies were there, all the greats of yesterday. The sights and sounds. The program. It was where I first had Gulden’s Brown Mustard and have had it ever since.
Maybe there’s different tiers?
Extra innings - they start of with a runner on 2nd
I can’t watch it
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