Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno made it clear a few weeks back that the team would continue to keep its radio broadcasters at home to call every road game during the 2023 MLB season.
Moreno cited “the economics” as the main reason why the team is not sending its radio team on the road, though an expert recently budgeted the overall costs at between $185,000 to $200,000 per season, which seems like a drop in the bucket compared to most of the salaries on the roster.
On, Thursday, ESPN Los Angeles’s Travis & Sliwa called out Moreno and the Angels over the signal they’re sending to fans.
“It is a giant middle finger to your fans,” Travis Rodgers said. “You’re telling your fans that listen to the games on the radio, particularly here in California where we have such a strong car culture, where people are in their cars a lot. We all commute. We’re all stuck in traffic, and if you’re a baseball fan, there is something very pleasant about listening to a baseball game on the radio.”
Referencing the aforementioned cost that an independent expert laid out, Rodgers was fired up about how little it made sense if it were truly about economics.
“$200,000. Anthony Rendon makes $38 million per year,” the radio host said.
Some might scoff at the need for radio broadcasters to be at the ballpark in order to call a game, but Rodgers said that there are opportunities that come with being in the stadium before and during the game that simply can’t be replicated 2,000 miles away.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.