It's MLB Opening Day, which should be a federal holiday here in the U.S. It's a time of celebration and unfettered optimism for baseball fans across the country. We are all here to bask in America's greatest pastime and get our first taste of the season ahead.
Of course, if there's one thing MLB knows how to do, it's how to ruin the viewing experience for millions of fans at inopportune moments.
MLB.tv is a ... volatile subject in baseball circles. It's hard enough for most fans just to catch their local broadcast. When the league's pricey streaming service, meant to offer unlimited viewing options for those of us diehards (or with a job to, you know, write about what's happening around the league), doesn't work on Opening Day? Yeah, that's a bad look.
Naturally, that is precisely what happened on Thursday afternoon. MLB.tv went dark, leaving countless fans unable to watch their favorite team kick off the 2025 campaign. There were plenty of strong reactions on social media.
Let's dive into X to find the best (or worst) responses to the sudden and untimely disappearance.
FanSided has MLB Opening Day covered — from the players who dominate the day, the fans who live for it and the small details that make it special. Click here for more Opening Day stories around the league's clubhouses and fan bases.
MLB TV goes dark on Opening Day, which lead to countless strong reactions from fans
MLB TV not working during literally their most important day of the year is so classic MLB.
— Tony (@jaycTony) March 27, 2025
Charging $150/year and then not providing a working product/service is quite the racket!! pic.twitter.com/EyT5TlhP4T
Well @MLBTV , sure would be nice if your service was working on opening day. Let ‘em know Bunk pic.twitter.com/mm2KHRKt8q
— Peter (@21hokie) March 27, 2025
We pay $150 to get a non-functional @MLBTV app on #OpeningDay
— Fantasy Buddha (@FantasyBuddha) March 27, 2025
And they wonder why baseball isn't the "national pastime" anymore. #LFGM pic.twitter.com/DjW5dsflH0
https://t.co/9ntMaoriqV not working on Opening Day pic.twitter.com/ttGmaoKIXS
— Liam Skiffington (@liamskiffington) March 27, 2025
I pay $150 a year for @MLBTV for them to black out games over 150 miles way from me and calling in market, put games on other apps that I don’t want, and now, crashing on opening day. Y’all have a year to get your s together. This is ridiculous for the money people pay. #mlbtv pic.twitter.com/bDlWKQnDfi
— Mike Marbach (@mikemarbach) March 27, 2025
https://t.co/83TtfZBADk when a bunch of people try logging back in on opening day pic.twitter.com/yitZUVfXHv
— one dozen rats at a keyboard (@PanasonicDX4500) March 27, 2025
And that's just scratching the surface.
Look, I'm not sure there is a "good" sports streaming service for our major American sports. NBA League Pass certainly has its, uh, moments. NFL Game Pass is what it is. But none enrage and mystify fans quite so frequently as MLB.tv. It's the same issues, year after year, for one of the most expensive services out there. How has the league not addressed this? There hasn't really been a meaningful attempt to.
It's really a twisted scheme. Fans love this game and want to watch their teams, so folks will pay up, even for a faulty service. That means MLB can keep getting away with it, because the profits don't wane, even if the broadcasts do. It's the world's greatest scam, and it is a total travesty. Fans deserve better. All of us.
It has already been a chaotic Opening Day, whether you've been able to watch or not. We have Opening Day legend Tyler O'Neill going yard again. We have Cam Smith's first hit in Houston. A home run controversy in Yankee Stadium. Our first Mike Trout injury scare. It's all happening, and fans can't even tune in. What a shame. What a bummer.
Hopefully the league gets a handle on this and establishes something close to a permanent fix. It's long overdue.