© John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Major League Baseball has undergone a transformation in recent years as cutting edge technology drives decision-making. Modern-day concepts such as defensive shifts, launch angles, and exit velocities have permeated MLB clubhouses.
The latest example of MLB’s convergence with technology: streaming live games on Facebook. No major sports league had ever partnered with the social network, but in unanimous decision this past March, all 30 MLB teams approved a plan to stream 25 games via Facebook during the 2018 season.
Last Thursday, the Giants vs. Phillies was streamed on the network. The game was not aired on local television, drawing ire from many. Complaints about live comment sections, absence of DVR, and small screenplay littered the experiment.
But how does an MLB broadcaster feel about the idea?
MLB Network’s Rich Waltz joined KNBR’s Marty Lurie over the weekend to reflect on the Facebook partnership that has baseball fans buzzing. Waltz said broadcasting a game on Facebook is difficult for several reasons, including working as part of a three-man booth and operating nonstop without commercials.
“It can be exhausting,” Waltz said. “And at the same time, it can be liberating because you can do a lot of different things during those inning breaks.”
There are player and coach interviews during breaks in the action, typically designated for commercials. The idea of streaming live games on a global platform such as Facebook encourages the sport’s promotion throughout the world, while appealing to a younger audience. The current generation consumes sports on their phones, tablets, and computers more than ever before.
For something as habitual as tuning into your team’s game via local broadcast nearly every night, though, it is understandable why the Facebook experiment has not been widely praised.
“Once you start doing it, it’s not that hard,” Waltz said. “But I understand there are some people that just aren’t set up for that, and that certainly is frustrating.”
Waltz said he expects to broadcast a Giants vs. Diamondbacks matchup, which he ‘believes’ will be on June 4th, via Facebook, although the official June schedule has not yet been released.
While Major League Baseball is the first league to partner with Facebook, other leagues have streamed events on social media channels in recent years. The MLS will partner with Twitter throughout the next three seasons for game streaming. The NFL formerly partnered with Twitter in 2016 and struck a streaming deal with Amazon one year later.
The MLB-Facebook confluence is the latest in the trend.
“It is an experimental thing,” Waltz said. “And I think baseball will look at it, adjust as they go, and go from there.”
Listen to Marty Lurie’s segment with Rich Waltz below.
