The ongoing challenges of modern sports media rights present a significant dilemma for fans, making it increasingly difficult to track down all the games they wish to watch. If you plan to catch every game from your favorite Major League Baseball team in 2025, it’s likely you’ll need to subscribe to three or four different services and platforms, or potentially even more in some instances.
For instance, if you’re a fan of the Boston Red Sox this season, accessing every game will require subscriptions not just to NESN, but also to ESPN, Fox, FS1, TBS, AppleTV+, and Roku. Depending on your location, MLB.TV and NESN 360 could also be options. While this is somewhat manageable for those with cable, cord-cutters face a more complex situation with various cable providers and tiers to navigate.
This dilemma was emphatically expressed by Mike Felger of 98.5 The Sports Hub, who aired his frustrations over the challenges of ensuring access to every Red Sox game, ultimately conveying the sentiment that he and many sports fans feel “digitally penetrated” by the escalating costs and confusion surrounding sports viewing.
@985thesportshub Viewers Are Getting “DIGITALLY PENETRATED” When Trying To Watch Baseball – Felger #redsox #baseball #mlb ♬ original sound – 98.5 The Sports Hub
“Here’s a bigger issue in my mind, how to watch the thing. It’s becoming harder and harder,” Felger remarked on a recent show. He expressed frustration about skyrocketing cable costs and the necessity of cutting the cord. “So eff you, I’m going to cut the cord. I’ll get YouTube TV. Much better,” he continued. However, the saga doesn’t end there; he noted NESN is not available on YouTube TV, forcing him to consider Fubo, which lacks access to TNT and, thus, important NBA games. “So eff you, Fubo.” Ultimately, he preferred sticking with YouTube TV for its benefits, but this left him grappling with how to watch the Red Sox amid all these complications.
Felger expressed his exasperation in detail: “I’ve got to get violated with that insanely overpriced, hideous product, NESN 360, which often doesn’t work… gouging me for 30 bucks a month. Those cheap pricks won’t even give me a pre- or post-game show if they’re not broadcasting the game. So what do I get…? Fine, take my $30.” His struggle culminated in him attempting to locate where to watch an upcoming game—navigating a maze of options including AppleTV+, and lamenting, “I can’t even… I don’t know where to begin to watch the effing game.”
“Don’t you get sick of getting digitally penetrated? Every time you want to watch a ball come across your TV screen.” In light of this, it seems we may have found something that both Red Sox and Yankees fans can agree on.
