So, according to the Chicago Tribune, Bud Selig thinks anyone complaining about the possible deal between MLB and Direct tv is being ‘ridiculous’ because there is "too much [MLB] product out there".
It should come as no surprise that Selig is going to defend his making a ridiculous amount of money by screwing the fans. But what really stands out is that he is trying to sell it by saying that there is such a small amount of fans who will be affected by this that he’s wondering about the fuss.
How many people can’t have a dish in their apartment or condominium? How many people live in areas where, even if they can have a dish, the normal weather patterns of the area make a dish pretty inconvenient when weighed against cable? How many people have packages where they get their cable and internet (and some also their telephone) service all together?
Apparently not enough for it to bother Bud.
How many people just plain prefer to have cable or the Dish Network or some other service over Direct TV? And why should Bud Selig be making the decision for fans on which television service they should use?
Football fans (and proponents of this deal) point to the deal the NFL has with Direct TV. Keep in mind, there are 16 weeks of football against a half year of baseball. Football fans have one day of the week to hit a bar or a friend’s house with Direct TV to get their fill of football. Not really something the baseball fans can do, is it? Add to that, the fact that the NFL has had this deal from the get-go and baseball fans have had the option to purchase Extra Innings from more than one provider since the inception of the program. So NFL fans never lost what MLB fans will be losing.
I know I’m not the first to bring all this up (Diane has been keeping close watch on this issue and has been giving great updates), but I think it’s worth making continued mentions. I’ve written to MLB, I’ve written to Senator Kerry and I’ve written to my cable company (hey, I’m up late, I have time to write) and I’m hoping, regardless of the snarkiness of Mr. Selig, that this deal falls through.
People are always complaining about individual owners. Teams raising the prices of seats, the concession prices, marketing every aspect of the team…well, at least most owners/ownerships, give back to the community. Bud Selig seemingly sits in his office thinking of ways to screw and p1ss off the fans.
I certainly don’t need the Extra Innings package to see the Red Sox. I buy the package because I enjoy baseball. So if I’m not able to get it (and no way am I switching to Direct Tv or MLB.tv just to see ‘other’ baseball games) the worst that will happen is I won’t see MORE baseball…but many MANY people, including folks I know, won’t get to see ‘their’ team. And when there is no reason behind it except the greed of Bud Selig…well, I think that’s pretty sh1tty.
Bud Selig obviously wants us to know that he doesn’t care about the fans. I only wish there was a way to show him we didn’t care about HIM without it affecting our teams.
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