I used to be a big sports fan in general, and a huge baseball fan in particular.  I would remember staying up until 1:30am to watch the last place Boston Red Sox play the last place Anaheim Angels when I was in high school.  Even though the games may not have been the best, I was a true fan and I went out of my way to see as many Red Sox games as I could.

     Over the years, things changed for me.  I didn't see sports as being important, as I had before.  Finishing graduate school coincided with my souring on baseball.  Just around the time I graduated with a masters degree, we were experiencing a recession and Major League Baseball was experiencing labor problems.  At the same time I was struggling to find an entry level job to pay my student loans, I was reading about uneducated millionaires complaining about receiving only $10 million dollars to play a game.  I became disgusted and essentially stopped watching sports.  Every now and then I would check scores, and if a headline caught my eye I would read it, but the days of actually following sports were over.

     Let's fast forward to 2008.  I had finished some work and I decided to catch game 6 of the American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.  I didn't know what channel it was on, so I turned to the local FOX affiliate, but the game wasn't on.  Next I changed the station to NBC, then CBS, then ABC.  Finally, I checked ESPN and saw highlights, so I knew the game was on.  Shortly after my channel surfing was finished, someone suggested I check TBS.  I thought it was a ridiculous suggestion, but lo and behold, the game was indeed on TBS. 

     I was surprised to say the least.  TBS is a popular cable station, but it is cable none the less.  Why would you put the League Championship Series on a cable station, rather than a network that is free to everyone?  My guess: Money.  If I were to look into why TBS was chosen, I assume I would find out that TBS was willing to pay the most money to televise the games.  What shocks me is that Major League Baseball was dumb enough to take it.  Sure, you can make a few more bucks with TBS, but isn't there something to be said for having your product available to as many viewers as possible?  Is this how loyalty to your team is rewarded?

     There has been a lot written about how Major League Baseball has had difficulty capturing the imagination of younger fans.  With that said, isn't it counter-productive to have young fans follow a team all season long, then shut them out at the end of the year?  This process began with the late start times for post season games, and their choice of networks has compunded the situation.  As Major League Baseball's fan base greys and attendance suffers, they should take some time to ponder the mistakes they have made.