We’ve been tracking MLB Network’s schedule of live games this season, noting that the early season emphasis on large markets like Boston and New York has seemingly began to fade as the season has gone on and smaller market teams have taken hold of the pennant race. And sure enough, that trend will be continuing with the announcement of MLB Network’s games for July.

First, let’s get this out of the way – MLB Network will air four Showcase games in July, staffed by their own talent.
July 8th, Dodgers at Tigers (Matt Vasgersian, Jim Kaat, Sam Ryan)
July 11th, Cardinals at Brewers (Bob Costas, Bob Uecker)
July 18th, Dodgers at Cardinals (Bob Costas, Tom Verducci, Sam Ryan)
July 25th, Blue Jays at Yankees (Matt Vasgersian, John Smoltz, Tom Verducci)

So we’ve got the Dodgers twice, the Cardinals twice, and once each for the Blue Jays, Tigers, Yankees, and Brewers. I have no problem with any of those games – all six teams are currently above .500 and all but the Yankees are playoff teams as of this writing. Most notable to me is Bob Uecker joining Bob Costas in the booth for MLB Network’s broadcast of Cardinals-Brewers – that will be a blast.

Now, let’s jump into the nitty gritty breakdown. The Red Sox, who were prominently featured in both April and May, will have just two games aired in July – and one of them is an afternoon game against the White Sox. The Yankees will be shown six times, which actually seems to be an improvement given their usual oversaturation. The first place Blue Jays are rewarded with five nationally televised games in the States, and the Tigers will be aired six times, despite their struggles in June (and more recently, their surge back to the top of the AL Central). There’s still no love being given to the other AL Central teams – they’re being aired a total of six times, with the Royals, White Sox, and Indians each only showing up once.

In the western divisions, you can’t accuse MLB Network of favoritism – both the Athletics and Angels will be featured six times, and both the Giants and Dodgers are featured seven times. There’s also no bias in the NL Central – the Brewers, Cardinals, and Pirates each have three games on MLB Network, while the Reds have four. The NL East is also shockingly balanced towards the contenders as opposed to the power markets in the northeast, with the Braves having five games aired, the Nationals and Marlins getting on four times, and the Phillies and Mets appearing just two times between them.

I am shockingly, and pleasantly, surprised. Getting away from the usual large market east coast favoritism is a great thing for baseball fans, even if teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, and Phillies have large national followings. When you continue to focus on those markets, even when the teams are struggling, all you’re doing is enraging fans of other teams and (in my opinion) devaluing the other teams in the league. If you’re say, an Orioles fan, how must it feel to have your team’s success ignored in favor of the falling apart at the seams Red Sox? As the season has gone on, MLB Network has shown more of a desire to focus on the teams actually succeeding this year, and emphasizing success over market size is the right thing to do for a sport that largely gets dismissed by the casual fan.

About Joe Lucia

I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.

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