I’ve heard this report a few days ago and apparently thought the deal would be dead after ESPN’s demand for free games. Sources have said that ESPN was trying to work out a monthly deal with KBO league instead of a full season. This would allow ESPN to drop the league once MLB games have resumed. That start may be a little ways away and in order to capture a large audience and deliver anything sports related it’s no surprise that ESPN is looking to make a deal work with the KBO. The initial reaction from the KBO was not pleasant when ESPN demanded for free rights to broadcast the games. They almost felt disrespected in a way and didn’t want to shoulder production costs just to put games on ESPN.
Yes it would be great exposure for the KBO league because the whole world would jump at the opportunity to watch live sports again. The only place they would be able to watch would be through ESPN. I guess ESPN thought that the exposure of the league on their network would be more than enough to make a deal happen, so confident in fact that they demanded for free rights. ESPN has currently changed their stance on the situation and I believe they are looking at new negotiations in order for both parties to be happy. ESPN first indicated interest in airing KBO games earlier this April to fill some dead air time amidst the virus shutting down all major sports.
Looking to continue riding a wave of momentum, ESPN is very smartly looking to be the first and only platform to watch live sports. We are in the midst of their masterful documentary, “The Last Dance,” the story of Michael Jordan and specifically the 1997-98 Bulls season. Already two weeks and four episodes in, it has quickly become can’t miss tv for any sports enthusiast out there. The world is in need for new sports content, anything they can consume and take their minds off of this whole pandemic. The docu-series has quickly become the center of conversation and looking to continue being the only platform for new content, ESPN is looking to seek out a deal with the KBO and quickly. We may be seeing games within the coming weeks, as more sports facilities look to reopen their doors to their athletes to continue training her in the US. Per sources, the new deal would look to air multiple KBO games per week.
We are maybe a month out of any regular season MLB games. I’m predicting late May or early June for games to begin. That could mean a month of weekly regular season KBO games, which I am all for. Although the play isn’t as crisp as it is at the MLB level, it’s still great exposure for the league and it’s players. There are also former MLB players that play in the league, this is a great opportunity for them to show off their talents in hopes of potentially peaking the interest of an MLB team. In addition to the exposure, because they know the culture from playing in the league, they become essential in translating part of the game for us. By hearing the game through them it becomes easier for the American audience to understand their baseball culture. I definitely see the potential for both sides, but a deal won’t get done unless both are happy. I’m still hopeful both sides can come to some kind of agreement and we can be watching live baseball very soon.
The Washed Up Athlete 