Major League Baseball has introduced a new way for people to watch America’s favorite past time: on Facebook. Damian Trujillo reports.
Major League Baseball has introduced a new way for people to watch America's favorite past time: on Facebook.
But some San Francisco Giants fans have mixed feelings about how the new partnership between MLB and Facebook can have an impact on the way they watch the game.
The Giants and Philadelphia Phillies game Thursday exclusively broadcasted on Facebook's MLB Live page, and fans' concerns vary from not being able to record the game on DVR, small screens and distrust of Facebook after the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal.
One fan tweeted that MLB is "out of their minds to present the national pastime in a manner that forces use of an out-of-control social media."
"Don't mind FB, but when it comes between me and optimal baseball viewing experience..... they are really pushing it. Don't want to watch game on 15" screen," another fan Anna Estrada tweeted.
David M. Lowe took to both Facebook and Twitter to display his discontent. "What is the point of letting a few fans watch on their little phones at work or somewhere else when the majority of fans/viewers WATCH ON A REAL TV?," Lowe said.
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Some of the fans find the easy access through Facebook convenient.
"Cool. I can watch the game while cleaning my kitchen," Denise Guady Hughes said on Facebook.
And if you don't have Facebook? You can't watch the game, but registering for Facebook is easy enough for people with devices with internet access.
NBCSports' Twitter poll showed 76 percent of the 1,793 voters said they will not be watching the Giants game on Facebook.
There are many solutions that can help solve the displeased fans' woes.
Fans can use an HDMI cord to connect their computer to their TV for the full large screen experience. If you have a Smart TV, you can use the Facebook application on your device to pull up the game.
Facebook Head of Global Sports Partnerships Dan Reed said that community and conversation are central to both baseball and Facebook. Reed said Facebook hopes the broadcasts "will bring these interactive and social elements of the game to life to fans around the world in new ways on our platform."
For those who really do not want to watch the game live on Facebook, MLB said that they may listen to live local radio broadcasts or follow pitch-by-pitch tracking on their website.
The full game archives will be available 90 minutes after the game ends on MLB.tv and MLB At Bat, but paid subscription is required, according to MLB.
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