I Just Got Ripped Off By Major League Basebal!!!

So I pay $25/mo subscription on MLB.tv to watch the redsox on my PS3 because I don't have cable only to find they BLACKOUT REDSOX GAMES BECAUSE THEY'RE MY LOCAL TEAM!!! So I can watch every MLB game in the world EXCEPT the only games I care about.

So I call customer service and they say, "Oh you can still watch the game 90 minutes after it's over."

What's the point of that????

Then they say, "Oh well you can also listen to the audio feed."

Like I don't already own a radio.

So they cancel my subscription but I still get billed for one whole month even though it's the first game of the year!!!!!

I'm seriously pissed at MLB right now.

BUYER BEWARE: Don't pay for MLB.tv if you plan on watching your HOME TEAM!!!!

common knowledge on any sub based major league team.

blackouts really piss me off........ i hate it when i get geared up to watch a game and it mysteriously cuts off 1 min before it starts....GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Yeah it sucks and all, and not tryin to be a dick, but how did you not know this? I'm not even that big into sports and i know all about blackouts. Start googling, there is websites that stream the game live while its playin to get around the blackouts and its freeee.

Why would one blackout its own team? Sense? It makes none.

Well, you could still watch half the games when your team is visiting...but you'll get different announcers which can be annoying sometimes. You can always get a digital tv antenna and pick up the local channels

That sucks....ohh and go Tigers!

Kodank Moment said:

Why would one blackout its own team? Sense? It makes none.

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to force it to be watched on the local channel for sponsor reasons. also to encourage higher attendance in markets where no one goes to the games. but to the op, if you really don't have NESN saturday games are on fox and can be picked up with an antenna...and like someone pointed out a lot of the away games can still be seen.

puffenuff said:

Well, you could still watch half the games when your team is visiting...but you'll get different announcers which can be annoying sometimes. You can always get a digital tv antenna and pick up the local channels

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No can do. The game I was trying to watch was Boston @ Houston and it was still blacked out, both feeds.

As far as local channels, the only channel that shows the Sox is NESN, a cable channel. Maybe a handful of games are on Fox but that's about it.

r1tony and pussymoneyweed, I didn't realize this was common knowledge. I'd never even heard of blackouts until I paid for this service. MLB should really be more clear in their advertising for us layfolk. I'll have to continue to watch at friend's houses since I'm way to cheap to pay for cable.

why would they block it out? doesnt that 25 bucks cover the costs? dont the majority of sports fans like their local team?

Shit man id be so livid!!! Id tear their fucking heads off for being dicks to you!!!

Luger187 said:

why would they block it out? doesnt that 25 bucks cover the costs? dont the majority of sports fans like their local team?

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Yeah it says right where you sign up that local blackout restrictions apply but I always thought a blackout was when a team didn't sell enough tickets so they don't air the game. They should tell you straight up that you can't watch your local team. And, yeah you'd think $25/month to watch a single sport would include your home team but it doesn't. Lesson learned, buyer beware. I guess this is karma for all the hard alcohol I've snuck into Fenway Park.

I hear you, same thing happened with Vikings last year, was all ready only to find out no game. I was boiling. It is sad that sports is all about the money now days.

You can thank the owners of the teams and the t.v. networks for that. They call it "Broadcast Rights." Basically, they want people to go to the stadiums and spend outrageous prices and pad their pockets. ESPN and TNT are the biggest culprits. They have exclusive rights to air sports events locally so they black out local games. Local is 75 mile radius from where the game is being played. The problem with that is the channels are blacked out all over the region. You can live 200 miles away and not be able to watch the game because cable broadcasting is regional. Unless, you want to pay up to a thousands dollars to get a Pay Per View sports season package. Then you get games you don't even want to watch and still deal with blackouts. On top of that, the game may not even be aired and you end up paying for something you're not even using.

Find somebody with a Slingbox