Making us pay

MLB subscription charges
By Diane Stanley
January 20 2018

I think it’s time for another of my little open letters. This time it’s to good old MLB. In this organization where pretty much everyone earns in the multi millions every year once again we, the fans are expected to pay to make them even richer.

[Originally published March 28, 2001]

MLB has decided that we will no longer be able to tune into games on the net for free. We will be expected to pay $9.95 a season. Whilst that may not seem that much why should we have to pay? MLB say the games will be more enhanced as we will be able to download video as well, but lets be honest most of us are busy either answering e-mail or working on other projects when we are listening to a game anyway. Do they really think we sit there like dummies and stare at the screen whilst we listen?

I guess the fact that it will make MLB another guaranteed $20 million over three years has nothing to do with them imposing the fee. (Sorry if you sense my sarcasm here.)

It’s not even as if you guys can readily attend a game even if you want to. This is just another way for MLB to screw the fans so as they can get paid even more. Well not being the type to let people walk all over me I decided that we the fans should be heard. This is what I have to say on the subject.

To Whom This May Concern,

I am writing to you to complain about the fact that you have decided to charge the fans to listen to MLB games via the Internet.

I assume that you don’t realize that this is the only way that many fans can actually get to hear their favorite teams play. Maybe some of us live several hundred miles from where our favorite team plays. Maybe some of us even live in a different country like myself here in Canada or like most of my friends here on Top Of the Ninth in England. Yes I do receive a few of my favorite team’s games on KTLA, but way less than half. Being a Dodgers fan in eastern Canada we do not receive Fox West. Seeing as the Fox consortium owns the team of course they show most of their games. This was not so bad though when I could stay up late and tune into the game on the net. Now you expect me to pay to do this? I think not. I would rather go without thank you.

You may only, (and I use the word only very loosely)charge $9.95 a season, but I’m sorry I do more than enough to support MLB as it is. Every time I buy a team tee shirt, cap, program etc a chunk of the cost goes to MLB. Every time I attend a game here in Toronto a chunk of the cost goes to MLB. Somehow I think you are getting more than enough out of me.

Maybe if I was a multi millionaire then an extra $10 here and there would not matter, but I’m not, so it does. The same goes for most average baseball fans.

I am sick of MLB saying they are trying to get the fans back into the game. How can this be true when you constantly do things to drive the fans away?

Lets be honest how can my friends in England hop in the car to see a game? They have to either watch the odd game at 5am a couple of times a week, or listen on the net. Or of course they can just lose interest in baseball all together. That would be a shame as the game seems to be starting to take off over there at last. I’m sure their employers don’t offer them private jets to take trips as an extra perk like many of the MLB players. In fact I bet none of them do.

Maybe you should think twice before pulling yet another way to scam the fans of their hard earned cash.

I think I may have miss addressed this mail by sending it “to whom it may concern,” as I feel the fans are the last concern of MLB.

Yours Sincerely,
Diane M. Stanley

Yes guys I will be sending this message on to MLB. I wonder if I will receive a reply? I’ll keep you posted.