The internet — and all these extremely portable devices carrying the internet — were supposed to make life easier for sports fans.
From the early days of the smartphone, I recall ads promising me I could watch the NCAA tournament on my phone, maybe while riding a city bus, or sitting by a peaceful stream.
So much for that! In this brave new world, it’s impossible to even watch the biggest games at home on your own TV.
In the old days, to catch a playoff game in baseball, football, or basketball, you would turn on the TV and turn the dial: if it’s not on Channel 2, 4, or 5, it’s probably on 7.
(Illustration by Amanda Boston Trypanis/Washington Examiner; AP Photos)
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(Illustration by Amanda Boston Trypanis/Washington Examiner; AP Photos)
These days, you need to be a tech wiz with secret insider knowledge in order to catch the game.
Set aside that one of the National League Wild Card games began at 10 p.m., it’s hard to know where to even find the games. Maybe you paid more than a hundred bucks this season for MLB.tv, and you think you could watch the MLB playoffs on this app. You’d be mistaken.
The Wild Card round is on NBC, which sounds simple. But no, some games are on NBC, and some are on NBCSN (a special NBC sports channel), while others might end up on CNBC, where you normally watch how your retirement portfolio is doing. Because those latter two are not available over the antennae, you need to buy a cable bundle that includes both NBCSN and CNBC. Alternatively, you can pay for Peacock, NBC’s own streaming service.
But that won’t do you any good after the first three games. The National League Division Series and National League Championship Series games will air on Fox — except for the games that air on Fox’s FS1. If you want an American League, you need TBS (and maybe another channel called TruTV).
Fox will carry the World Series.
That’s seven channels, none of which are available on the same streaming apps. It’s possible you can get all of the games if you pay $80 for YouTube TV. Alternatively, you might be able to see most of the games on Sling, as long as you choose the Blue and Orange package (though who knows what the Mets’ colors have to do with the postseason).
I guess this is called progress.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
