Changing Dynamics of American Sports Broadcasting
Monoculture refers to a society where most people share similar interests. In the past, this was evident in America. Remember when people gathered to watch the series finale of “Seinfeld” in Times Square? The finale of “MASH” attracted over half of the nation’s audience.
And of course, there were sports. Major League Baseball and the National Football League were once dominant forces, with nearly 60% of American households tuning in for World Series games at their peak.
However, the landscape is shifting. Some might say it was bound to happen—the rise and fall of sports popularity—but it feels like something more deliberate is at play. I mean, certain leagues are really facing a death of sorts.
Take a moment to consider how difficult it can be to catch some teams’ games these days.
Back in the late 1950s, football faced its own challenges. The NFL introduced a blackout policy that prevented games from being televised unless enough tickets sold in advance, aiming to protect smaller city teams that relied heavily on ticket revenue to survive.
Eventually, the Supreme Court intervened, saying the NFL was overstepping by controlling game broadcasts. In response, the league sought legislation from Congress, leading to the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which granted antitrust exemptions to the four major leagues: the NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA.
With those exemptions in hand, the leagues imposed strict broadcast rights policies, limiting access to certain networks. At first, this model seemed to work. But as cable television took hold—well, many games ended up locked behind paywalls, and streaming has only cemented that trend.
This shift has benefited Major League Baseball financially, pulling in billions from exclusive content. For example, Amazon shells out about $1 billion annually for “Thursday Night Football,” while MLB takes in at least $800 million from its exclusive games.
Yet, for fans, this has created chaos.
Currently, “Thursday Night Football” is exclusively on Amazon Prime, and similar situations arise with major Christmas games airing on Netflix. ESPN holds exclusive rights to some events, too, with a few appearing on platforms like YouTube and Netflix. It’s bewildering, as some nationally broadcast games don’t even show up on local channels.
MLB’s broadcasting restrictions have further complicated the viewing experience. For instance, Atlanta Braves fans received guidance on catching their games on stations owned by Gray, but Gray only covers 15 out of 162 games in the season. That makes finding ways to see all those games a costly affair.
Add to that an even trickier scenario, where fans in places like Iowa find themselves blacked out from six nearby teams unless they purchase a specific viewing package.
It’s clear that viewers are frustrated. According to polling from the National Association of Broadcasters, more than 70% of sports fans wish there were free local broadcasts of games. Recent calls have been made to Congress to revisit sports broadcasting regulations.
While changes to the law from the Kennedy era have lapsed, there’s a sense things might not align with how the leagues have been operating. The original law was about sponsored games aired on television, which likely doesn’t encompass Internet broadcasts.
Some might argue that older laws can adapt to the digital age, but that’s rather beside the point. It’s like how the First Amendment extends to various forms of communication; if the Sports Broadcasting Act was only meant for traditional broadcasting, it could put leagues at risk.
Interestingly, the Trump administration has begun to take action here. Earlier in the year, the FCC invited comments regarding the state of sports broadcasting, and the Justice Department has initiated antitrust investigations targeting both the NFL and MLB.
The process is likely to be lengthy, necessitating action from Congress and the courts. It seems essential for the American public to push all branches of government to address these broadcasting practices and safeguard the last remnants of American monoculture.
