Rob Manfred won’t criticize Fox as a partner of Major League Baseball, which must have ESPN wondering about the commissioner’s motives.
Manfred joined Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo’s SiriusXM Radio show before MLB’s Opening Day earlier this week. And in the same interview where Manfred expressed disappointment in how ESPN treats his sport, the MLB commissioner fawned over his relationship with Fox.
During his interview with Manfred, Russo called out Fox for opting to broadcast the season-opening MLB Tokyo Series in Japan between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs remotely.
“Can Fox and FS1 show up live in Tokyo as a partner? Is that fair?” Russo asked Manfred. “They are your partner. They’re paying Brady $365 million. Can they do us all a favor…can they send a couple of broadcasters to Tokyo? I’ll pay it for Christ’s sake!”
It’s a fair gripe from Russo. And it would seem reasonable for Manfred to express disappointment in Fox for not prioritizing the MLB Tokyo Series headlined by Shohei Ohtani enough to have announcers on site in Japan. Manfred, however, wouldn’t cosign Russo’s complaint.
“It will be a cold day in hell before you hear me criticize Fox as a partner,” Manfred insisted. “I will tell you, they are heaven and they continue to be the best possible partner. Now, it’s like being married, do I agree with every single decision they make? No, I don’t. But on balance, Fox does right by our game.”
Manfred, however, doesn’t feel the same way about ESPN, especially after they opted out of the final three seasons of their contract with MLB. Before Manfred refrains from criticizing Fox, he addresses MLB’s deteriorating relationship with ESPN and doesn’t hold back.
“There was a level of dissatisfaction on our part,” Manfred told Russo of MLB’s partnership with ESPN. “It started with the end of Baseball Tonight. I think if you watch ESPN, and I do, where we appear on SportsCenter in the morning, there were issues there, too. You know, there was a level of dissatisfaction.”
But where is that coverage from Fox? Where is Fox’s version of Baseball Tonight? How much are Emmanuel Acho, Colin Cowherd, and Nick Wright discussing baseball on their respective FS1 shows?
Fox can be criticized for not covering MLB enough on their studio shows. Fox can be criticized for not sending a broadcast crew to Japan for the MLB Tokyo Series. And the network can also be criticized for bumping the NLCS to FS1 in favor of The Masked Singer last season. Manfred doesn’t have to bash Fox, but there are things to be critical of. Instead, his defiant allegiance seemed more like an attempt at needling ESPN than it did genuine appreciation for Fox.
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