Maybe MLB shouldn't affiliate with a company that's most famous for harassing women online. Just a thought.

The nice thing about Bobby Manfred is he keeps making it easier to stay away from MLB.

Everything is the worst.

Interactive real-time ratings of players' wives and girlfriends.

MLB and Barstool potentially could team up to create a new type of broadcast with a focus on in-game gambling.

Finally!

#1, With major reporters like Harold hold me Reynolds and Charley bang me for a promotion Rose, other networks can just keep quiet about any complaints about bar stool sports. At least bar stool sports doesn’t hide what they are behind false claims of piety.

#1, With major reporters like Harold hold me Reynolds and Charley bang me for a promotion Rose, other networks can just keep quiet about any complaints about bar stool sports. At least bar stool sports doesn’t hide what they are behind false claims of piety.

Are you doing alright, fam?

Maybe MLB shouldn't affiliate with a company that's most famous for harassing women online. Just a thought.

that's not what barstool is most famous for. they're most famous for being a reactionary ######## that caters to the men who harass women online (and in person).

At least bar stool sports doesn’t hide what they are behind false claims of piety.

Being honest about your misogyny isn't, like, good.

Maybe MLB shouldn't affiliate with a company that's most famous for harassing women online. Just a thought.

Would it help you feel better if the broadcast was focused on gambling?

#1, With major reporters like Harold hold me Reynolds and Charley bang me for a promotion Rose, other networks can just keep quiet about any complaints about bar stool sports. At least bar stool sports doesn’t hide what they are behind false claims of piety.

Wow, you're garbage.

I'm not comfortable with MLB affiliating like this with Barstool, for some of the reasons mentioned above. However, baseball has such a big inventory of its product compared to the other major team sports, and has possibly the worst problem demographically with its fan base. So aggressively selling some of that product into niche areas to try to proactively reach audiences not currently connecting with MLB? All for it. Take something like The Ringer, which is not as big as Barstool. I think The Ringer's audience is a little older, and probably more educated, than Barstool, and has none of the baggage of Barstool. Is there a play there?

Take something like The Ringer, which is not as big as Barstool. I think The Ringer's audience is a little older, and probably more educated, than Barstool, and has none of the baggage of Barstool. Is there a play there?

They're owned by Spotify now, so I guess this wouldn't shock me?

Barstool is probably at this particular bargaining table because it is owned by (and a client vehicle for) a sportsbook. Hence the gambling-focused broadcast.

The Ringer doesn't get the same value out of this deal.

I don't understand the term "inventory" in this context. MLB is showing those games regionally. There is nothing particular about Wednesday night for a national broadcast. They could have a national broadcast on a different network or streaming platform every day of the week.

Hell, they could have a national broadcast EVERY day of the week on EVERY network or streaming platform, they have 12-15 games a day. I kind of like that option. It would be a huge pain in the ass to try to see every game on 10 different streaming platforms but if I could see a handful of games each from my favorite team on Peacock, Hulu, Fox, ESPN+ and YouTube I probably wouldn't need any more games than that.

To me, this is also a real opportunity for professional sports to try some things, from a broadcasting perspective. Amazon, which is getting a small part of the next NFL contract, has already suggested they are going to try some innovative things related to how they broadcast the game (camera angles, more data-driven graphics, etc). They also suggested they would stream multiple live feeds to give people a wider variety of priorities in the analysis - including a version of the broadcast focused squarely on gambling, with an analyst in the booth who was an expert. I also wouldn't mind if there was a version where the best local beat reporter for the two teams were the two color analysts, along with the play-by-play person. If it is an opportunity for new, younger talent to get national exposure, including more women, that would be interesting, too.

But in terms of the money involved, let's be clear: It is about the gambling.

already suggested they are going to try some innovative things related to how they broadcast the game

Flooding the screen with charts and graphs isn't going to help ratings at all. People want to watch athletes do athletic things, not look at an Excel spreadsheet during the game.

The Onion: MLB Hoping Barstool Sports Partnership Will Restore Baseball’s Stature As Nationalist Pastime

“We’ve been losing our appeal to America’s angry, reactionary, blindly patriotic masses, and nobody has more sway in those important demographics than Barstool Sports,” said MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who expressed belief that Barstool Sports’ irreverent appeal could help recapture the youthful white male fan that has been drifting away from baseball since the integration era.

“We’ve been losing our appeal to America’s angry, reactionary, blindly patriotic masses, and nobody has more sway in those important demographics than Barstool Sports,” said MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who expressed belief that Barstool Sports’ irreverent appeal could help recapture the youthful white male fan that has been drifting away from baseball since the integration era.

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, or in this case at least equal to it.

Hell, they could have a national broadcast EVERY day of the week on EVERY network or streaming platform, they have 12-15 games a day. I kind of like that option. It would be a huge pain in the ass to try to see every game on 10 different streaming platforms but if I could see a handful of games each from my favorite team on Peacock, Hulu, Fox, ESPN+ and YouTube I probably wouldn't need any more games than that.

As long as MLB leaves its Extra Innings TV package alone, IDGAF about how they distribute the games to those who like to watch them on tiny screens.