Should ESPN have stood its ground?
The New York Yankees, upset over the prospect of playing three games in two cities in 24 hours, were threatening to boycott ESPN over a controversial July 8 scheduling change. But ESPN caved Tuesday, and the Yankees no longer will have to play at 8 p.m. in Toronto the night before a doubleheader in Baltimore.
Blue Jays game time on July 8 returns to 1:07 PM. pic.twitter.com/osL4y7ufTz
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) June 5, 2018
Now, it was easy to sympathize with the Yankees, as playing so much baseball in such a small amount of time is brutal, especially when you factor in travel.
But that doesn’t mean ESPN should’ve given in to New York’s demands.
Prior to his team’s game against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora weighed in on ESPN’s compromise. And while he didn’t outright criticize ESPN, he did suggest the decision could set a problematic precedent.
Alex Cora just now: "If they do that, then sometime down the road when somebody has to do it too, it’s going to come up, and if they do it for one team they have to do it for everybody." https://t.co/SysNMbtsOT
— Jason Mastrodonato (@JMastrodonato) June 5, 2018
Cora might have a point. And you can bet that if his Red Sox face a similar plight, he’ll want ESPN to be just as accommodating.
Let’s just hope that’s a bridge we never have to cross.
