Sen. Tina Smith Puts Pressure on Comcast After Twins Fans Go Without Games

In a letter sent to Comcast’s CEO earlier this week, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota criticized the cable company for dropping Bally Sports channels nationwide, a move that has left thousands of Minnesota Twins fans without access to their games.

Because Comcast is in a joint venture with cable provider Midco, who dropped Bally Sports North on May 1, those who have Midco can’t view any Twins games on that service. The owner of Bally Sports, Diamond Sports Group, is currently in bankruptcy proceedings and has declined several options to continue carrying those networks.

Sen. Smith said, “If you have Midco, it’s blocked out, as I understand it. But if you get your cable in another way, then you are able to watch the games. And you know, I just think people get so frustrated by this. They don’t understand or even care about these complex negotiations between big companies. They just can’t believe it when they go to watch a baseball game and they can’t find it anywhere, which is why I just think we should resolve these disputes. You know, time’s a wasting. We’re already practically to the middle of June, and the season is passing us by and people want to watch the game.”