What makes a true baseball fan these days? Is it that you never miss a game on your television set with your $350.00 satellite? Which that does not include your monthly fees mind you. Being a true fan is all in the eye of the beholder. Old school fans still listen to their team on the radio, or even just follow them day to day through the box scores in the newspaper.
At any rate, it does not matter if you feel that you are a true fan or if someone else thinks you are. The only thing that matters is if your cable company thinks you are a true fan. The question facing cable television provider is whether to include the new MLB channel on their tier 1 package in 2008? These are the demands of Major League Baseball if the cable companies want to keep offering the MLB Extra Inning package. This package allows a baseball fan to see thousands of baseball games a year and follow their favorite team no matter they live. My feeling is that Major League Baseball needs to do anything possible to keep their fans. Kids these days just do not grow up and want to be Major League Baseball Players anymore. These days, our next generation want to be skateboarders and motor cross stars. One of the most troubling things to me is after finally getting the game back where it needed to be (after the dreaded work stoppage); they almost took baseball away from the regular viewers.
And for what you might ask? The almighty dollar. After posting record revenues in 2006 baseball put its Extra Inning package up for bid, to be claimed by the highest bidder (DirecTV). This decision leaves thousand of fans out in the cold with and the only way to see the games is through the internet with poor picture and sound quality. Therefore, this is how I spend my evening in front of a 13” computer monitor. Keep in mind though, I am old school and remember when the game was great. Do not get me wrong, the game is still great. The truth of the matter is I do not like the direction it is going in. But, like any true fan either you put up, or shut up!
I am willing to give America’s pastime one more chance. I am just afraid the next generation will not.