The team that walks out of Philadelphia with a W on Thursday will hold a 3-2 lead in the World Series. But long before that, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was handed the biggest L of the night.
Manfred certainly isn’t high on the power rankings of pro sports commissioners — really, they’re all tied for last in the court of public opinion — but sometimes fans are a bit vocal about their dislike of the MLB commish.
During Game 5 of the Phillies-Astros World Series, a fan recorded something of a plea to Manfred, while also calling him a crude name in the process, to the apparent delight of someone sitting near Manfred.
Someone on @baseballreddit was seated near MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred at tonight’s World Series game, and agreed to scream the top comment from the thread at him. They delivered. pic.twitter.com/owowQzVTAL
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) November 4, 2022
“Hey, Rob, if you want the youths, end the blackouts, dumbass,” the fan said.
While it may seem like unprovoked mockery, there was an impetus behind it: The fan took inspiration from a Reddit post, saying he’d scream the top comment on a Reddit thread. This was verified by Reddit mods.
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While crude, the fan has a point: MLB should take a long, hard look at its strict blackout rules, which prevent in-market viewers from taking in locally televised games. There’s also no real way to watch out-of-market games in a convenient and cost-effective way, thanks to regional sports networks (RSNs).