We’ve written previously about Major League Baseball’s utter disdain for its fans (here and here). Now MLB is at it again…
Allan Wood (a baseball megafan who has written a book about Babe Ruth) purchased over $280 worth of digital downloads of baseball games from Major League Baseball, who have just turned off their DRM server, leaving him with no way to watch his videos. MLB’s position is that since these videos were “one time sales,” and that means that Wood and everyone else who gave money to MLB is out of luck — they’ll never be able to watch their videos again,.
MLB shut down the DRM server because they’ve changed suppliers, and now they expect suckers to buy downloads of games in the new DRM format. Anyone who does this needs their head examined — using DRM itself is contemptible enough, but using DRM this way is just plain criminal.
Just got off the phone with a MLB customer service supervisor.
“MLB no longer supports the DDS system” that it once used and so any CDs with downloaded games on them “are no good. They will not work with the current system.”
Of course this is nothing compared to how the NFL treats its players!
When was the last time you went to a ballpark? I used to go to Cubs games in Chicago when I was a kid. Hey, no one expected to win, just to have a good time. If course this past year was different.. ha!
Seriously, baseball is boring! they need to change the rules to speed it up. Baseball on TV is even worse! MLB can restrict all they want!
Who cares?
Ha, just goes to show you the average mentality of anyone having anything to do with baseball. Why anyone would want to PAY to download a copy of a game is beyond me. And how the execs running that operation expects their sheep/fans to just accept whatever they decree is comical.
BUUUUUUUT……
This is criminal. I smell class action lawsuit here. And after hearing how MLB is screwing their fans/customers over, anyone who gives them any more money for any reason deserves what they get.
Don
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… (because saying it is free)
TO HELL WITH THE DMCA and DRM
#1. Baseball is for those sports fans who have attention spans longer than a two-year-old’s.
And this story is case in point why downloadable media won’t replace physical media – nobody can “deactivate” my Battlestar Galactica DVDs.
Complain, complain, complain to anyone who can fix it. Insist on getting what you have paid for. Let everyone know about this garbage attitude to customers.
I would think this would justify you bittorrenting it. Hey, I paid for the license to watch the content. Or it should fall under the law that let’s you reverse-engineer the copy protection of (video) games that are “abandon-ware.”
What ever happened with the brouhaha when Google video shut down their pay for download videos? Did any lawsuits ever come from that or did the 3 people who actually paid for stuff just take their Google credit and shut up?
Wow! That NFL article was horrifying! The public has no idea. This really should be publicized more.
#7
If the public has done nothing is because of two things:
1.- They have the attention span of a 2 year old.
2.- The NFL has the media by the balls.
This story is really about sexy, role-playing outfits. Click on
the pic of the girl. I’d love to lob some balls her way!
#3, OFTLO;
To get in on the acronym parade… “…AND TO HELL WITH MLB!”
#4, doug;
Or…baseball is the sport for people who don’t have anything better to do with their lives than wasting 8 hours watching a game. Or for those who like watching grown men spit and scratch themselves.
Now if baseball featured sexy girls wearing outfits like those in the picture, then it would be worth watching! Hell ya!
#10 you seem to have mistaken baseball for cricket. I suggest reading up on the subject.
all this fuss about baseball?
sports are fun to do.. not watch
This isn’t so bad. Wait for MLB to start suing fans for bypassing that earlier DRM! It’ll happen. Just wait.
#11, Doug;
So are you saying baseball games don’t take a long time to play and the players don’t just stand around spitting and scratching like the TV always shows?
Or are you saying we should just call it cricket?
#7, hhopper, Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson of the Cowboys used to live down the street, and he had some great tales from the “Horrors of the NFL” playbook. At least he managed to reinvent himself.
The arguments about unions could go on for days, but the NFLPA looks worthless to me — what compassion and help for the players that need it most — NOT!
[off topic]
No wonder my charter stewardess always looked so great, she must have ordered her uniforms from the site that appears when you click the article picture.