The Texas Rangers losing Bally Sports is good for the fans and bad for the team

A U.S. Federal approved a plan by Diamond Sports that could potentially bring to an end the bankruptcy proceedings. That plan involves handing back the media rights to the 11 MLB teams it broadcasts by the end of the 2024 season.

Fans rejoiced at the thought of being able to watch their favorite teams without having to sign up for cable or a streaming service. The game is going to be returned to the fans and taken away from the cable providers. The cord cutters now will be able to access their favorite teams' games more easily. Everything is good, right? Not quite. This is probably better news for the fans than it is for franchises like the Texas Rangers.

As reported by Evan Drellich of The Athletic Texas Rangers fans might see a change in the television broadcast as soon as the start of the 2024 season(Athletic subscription required). A Diamond Sports lawyer had this to say in court this week regarding their plans for the 2024 season,

"Our intention is to broadcast almost all of (our) Major League Baseball teams next year. There are a few, a very few, for which we do not have agreements in place. And that, frankly, at this point, are too expensive for us to broadcast without concessions. I am told that those discussions are taking place, there have been reach-outs to both of the teams involved"

- Diamond Sports Lawyer

Texas played hard ball in 2023 and were willing to walk away if Diamond did not pay them in full. If that is still their stance then they will not negotiate with Diamond for a lower payment for 2024. It stands to reason that Diamond will walk away from their coverage of the Texas Rangers in 2024. I think it warrants examining what this could mean for the Texas Rangers going forward and what benefits the fans could see as a part of this news.