The recent story of watching a Minnesota Twins baseball game on TV is comparable to Frank Herbert's Dune. After FOX was forced to exit the regional sports racket and disappeared from many platforms (YouTube TV, Dish Network, etc.), Barry remained the White Knight until parent company Sinclair declared bankruptcy for its Diamond Sports holdings. It looked like. Oops.
This offseason, there was a lot of talk about things like direct-to-consumer streaming options and the removal of MLB TV blackout restrictions. Still, the “final answer” (at least for now) was to sneak back into bed with Barry for one more year.
While this seems like a modern problem in the streaming era, Twins baseball broadcasts have had a troubled history, none more notable than Victory Sports One. What better topic to start checking in on during the 2004 season?
After two district championships (2002-2003), the Minnesota Twins have finally regained their place in baseball after a dark period in the late '90s and near-shrinking. But living in the “middle market” of perhaps the most unassuming stadium in sports, there seemed to be little opportunity for an infusion of cash. So Twins owner Carl Pohlad looked to the East Coast for inspiration, specifically the New York Yankees (EWW) and his YES Network.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25275904/1154362083.jpg)
Instead of operating within a traditional regional sports network setup, the Bombers established their own operation and sold it directly to cable/satellite providers. No middleman = bigger profits. So, after affiliated with Midwest Sports Channel and Fox Sports North for his 15 seasons, the Pohrad family announced his Victory Sports One on October 31, 2003. It turned out to be just as scary as the Halloween holiday in its first appearance.
As you know, Minnesota has never been able to control (or claim) market share on Manhattan Island. As such, cable/satellite providers immediately balked at the Pollard family's asking price for his VS1, making his VS1 available to only a select few companies. Technically, the provider happened to place VS1 in a higher (more expensive) tier, but Twins ownership held firm to its position that the channel existed on “basic cable.”
On the other hand, live sports clearly supported the entire cable/satellite industry, even in the early 2000s. Meanwhile, the rights to the Timberwolves and Wild remained with FOX, so in addition to the Twins game coverage, VS1 aired exactly two other programs: an ESPNews simulcast and the Kent Fulbeck Fishing Show, but technically It wasn't a deep bench.
When the 2004 season began, few Twins fans in Minnesota could watch a summer game without taking a seat in the blue Metrodome. I was one of them. As a high school senior, I was going crazy not being able to watch the Twins. I distinctly remember a music instructor who was also a baseball fanatic telling me that he had a VS1 in his TV car.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25275900/496014884.jpg)
The Pohrads held out for a month, until the pressure to revive the Twins reached a fever pitch. When it became clear that the cable/satellite provider was not going to work, VS1 was discontinued on May 8, 2004, and his new contract with FOX Sports (which would actually be very lucrative for the next 20 years) It was agreed immediately. My favorite channel 29 is back in business!
Given the nature of the “bridge year” agreement signed with BSN in 2024, it certainly looks like major changes are coming to baseball television distribution. However, it will take quite a challenge to match the failure of Victory Sports One. This debacle will forever remain in Twins lore along with Brunansky for Her, Ron Davis, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, and “bilateral leg weakness.”
“All these things have happened before, and they will happen again.” (JM Barrie) Peter Pan)
