Yankees reportedly threatening to boycott ESPN because of schedule dispute

Chris Cwik
·Staff writer
·2 min read

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone may have worked at ESPN, but that won’t stop him from disagreeing with the network. Boone is at odds with his former employer after ESPN rescheduled a future Yankees game at an inconvenient time, according to the New York Post.

What happened?

Due to a rainout in Baltimore, the Yankees are set to play a double-header against the Orioles on July 9. On July 8, the team was initially slated to play a day game in Toronto. ESPN moved the game in Toronto to a night game, meaning the Yankees would have to stay late in Toronto, travel to Baltimore in the early hours of the morning and then play two games against the Orioles the following day.

What was Boone’s reaction?

After being told the game was locked in, Boone told reporters ESPN should “unlock it.” He wasn’t smiling or joking when he said it. He was serious about moving the game.

That’s not all, though. According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post — who is coincidentally another ex-ESPNer —the Yankees might employ another strategy: a boycott. Writes Marchand:

…. [T]he Yankees are threatening to boycott ESPN personnel all year, according to sources with knowledge of the team’s thinking.

“It is a tool in the toolbox,” one source said.

Why would ESPN make the Yankees play that night?

Because the Yankees are popular and the network wants the team to be on Sunday Night Baseball. The network’s timing is not the best, though. Apparently, they moved the game against the Toronto Blue Jays after the double-header had already been announced. ESPN knew what the Yankees were in for the next day and still decided to make the move.

Now what?

Boone is hoping ESPN and MLB see things his way. If they don’t change the game back, he’s hoping the Players Association will get involved. Boone is concerned about the quality of play baseball fans would receive if his team had to play so many games in such a short period. More importantly, though, he’s worried about his players getting injured after playing three games so close together.

Aaron Boone is upset with his former employer. (AP Photo)
Aaron Boone is upset with his former employer. (AP Photo)

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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