The Chicago White Sox continue to be punished for last year’s mistakes.
BrooksGate recently released the national streaming channels for all 30 MLB teams this year, and the Sox have been awarded zero opportunities for fans to watch their games without MLB.TV or Chicago Sports Network.
Although Athletics and Sox fans can commiserate on their forced banishment from national recognition, this isn’t a misery-loves company situation.
2025 nationally televised/streamed games by team pic.twitter.com/rq5fMEnjF6
— BrooksGate (@Brooks_Gate) March 15, 2025
Between local blackouts that seem to come with nearly every streaming platform these days and the annoyance of adapting to CHSN, Sox fans now have to deal with officially being undermined by MLB, a sentiment that isn't foreign.
Despite being one of the eight original American League teams, the Sox have rarely been viewed as an important franchise. The Sox are constantly seen as the Cubs’ little brother even though they didn’t blame 108 years of losing on a poor barn animal. And even after the Cubs broke the “Curse of the Billy Goat, the Sox were seen as the inferior Chicago team.
Although MLB acknowledges the Sox’s budding talent with its sixth-best farm system in the league, coverage appears to be highly selective. It seemed like a day didn’t go by last year where the Sox were mocked or ridiculed for their record, clubhouse reputation, or ownership and management. This year, when the Sox attempt to recover from being buried by negative press, it seems they can do little right.
What’s even worse is that the Sox aren’t helping their image.
The Sox reassigned Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith on March 6 and Braden Montgomery on March 7 back to minor-league camp amidst their early spring success.
Though none of them were expected to break camp with the team, Sox fans would rather see good baseball from young prospects than hear about new ballpark food. While the new menu items look tasty, no one will eat the food if the team isn’t worth watching.
we'll have one of each 😋 pic.twitter.com/eKrUJBPl5X
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 19, 2025
The decision to enforce negative punishment to coax the Sox to play their way back onto TV is not only illogical but also disrespectful.
Refusing to show the public the challenges teams face when stunted by a poor owner won’t suddenly make the team play better. Instead, it dismisses the cheap antics of owners who have no business running sports teams, hurting small and mid-market teams and the game itself.
When the attention shifts towards getting views - on social media or TV - instead of getting people in seats, sports teams suffer. Whether it’s Justin Ishbia or, heaven forbid, still Jerry Reinsdorf’s job, the Sox owner needs to focus on the latter to turn the organization’s narrative around and become more nationally recognized.