No. 3: RSN and financial issues
Lastly, the upcoming season has an unknown, even with about 10 days until pitchers and catchers have to report to spring training. Where will the Rockies’ games be broadcast for the 24’ season? AT&T Sportsnet is no more, and the team hasn't announced any local streaming deals for their local fans to tune into games. The team averaged 15,000 viewers last year, so how much revenue can the team realistically expect to bring in with such low viewership?
Why is the broadcast important to the on-field product the team produces you may ask? If the team can’t find a reliable income-producing broadcast partner, they will have to lower their bottom-line exposure to make ends meet. The Rockies are a for-profit organization, after all, and one of the first things to get cut if a company needs to bolster its bottom line is its salary expenses. With the team already struggling to find the level of competition needed to compete in the National League, let alone the NL West, cutting expenses does not bode well for an already struggling team. It was announced earlier this year that the AT&T Sportsnet broadcasting team will be calling 2024 Rockies games, we just don't know where.
So, I ask again, what do I cheer for this season? To me, apathy is the worst place to be as a fan of a team. Becoming apathetic means losing is the expectation, and anything above that is a good season. Our expectations should be higher as a fan base.
If you look at one of our recent polls on X, Rockies fans remain optimistic about the upcoming season. There is a lot of REALLY good young talent on this team, and having young prospects is always fun to cheer on with the hopes they will be the turning point for future success for the Rockies.
Call to Action
Are you a fan of the Rockies? Do you love talking about all things Rockies? Do you want to write about the Rockies on your own schedule with the potential to earn some extra cash? Go to https://openings.fansided.com and look for the Rox Pile site and apply to join our staff.