There’s been a lot of change in how Major League Baseball has been consumed since the pandemic year of 2020. Today, MLB games are more accessible on more platforms than ever before. The league’s move to streaming began when MLB signed an exclusive deal with Apple TV to stream a Friday night doubleheader. That’s when MLB reporter Tricia Whitaker got the call that changed the trajectory of her budding sports media career.
“They called me and they had an opening for a sideline reporter role for Apple. It’s a national package and I’d be going around the country covering every single team. I was like, sold,” said Whitaker. “Growing up, I was one of those weirdos that wanted to be a sideline reporter… I did it.”
Now entering her fifth season with Apple, Whitaker said she is happy with the partnership. She has welcomed baseball fans every Friday evening, providing inside stories from the dugout while bringing viewers closer to the game and its players.
When Whitaker accepted the role with Apple, she was in her fourth season as the team reporter for Tampa Bay Rays broadcasts on Bally Sports. While the added workload presented a new challenge, she noted clear differences between working for a regional sports network and a global company like Apple.
“The biggest difference [between the two] was the regional sports network was owned by Bally. That business model was a mess, and you weren’t treated very well by the people that ran that company,” explains Whitaker. “From an Apple perspective, it is a wonderful company to work with and a wonderful group of humans.”
Whitaker spent six seasons covering the Tampa Bay Rays through several ownership changes at the local RSN. Although she enjoyed covering the team, she said the stress tied to the company’s instability was always present.
“You would go in every year, no matter who owned it, worried about your job. And nobody communicated with talent a lot. It wasn’t a good feeling year to year when the company was so in flux,” notes Whitaker. “The employees of the regional sports networks don’t deserve that uncertainty, but it comes with the territory of working with the RSNs.”
MLB in a Streaming World
Because of her relationship with the Rays organization, Whitaker remained with the club for three seasons while also working Friday nights with Apple. Over the last two seasons, the Indiana graduate has focused solely on her work with Apple amid the league’s continued media rights shuffle.
After ESPN and MLB agreed to a mutual opt-out of their media deal in the spring of 2025, speculation grew about how the league would redistribute its properties among streaming platforms. During that time, various reports questioned whether Apple TV would retain the rights to the Friday night package heading into the 2026 season.
Whitaker said that despite the speculation, she remained confident the games would stay on Apple.
“Those reports weren’t accurate, and we knew that. I know the industry could change, but we all knew that wasn’t happening,” said Whitaker. “We have really good bosses, and we’re communicating with us through all that. That didn’t happen with Ballys or FanDuel. They didn’t know, and no employees knew. It was really disappointing because those employees at RSNs deserved more communication. I have not experienced that with Apple at all.”
MLB’s presence on streaming services is not new. In fact, MLB.TV, which launched in 2002, is widely considered the league’s first streaming platform.
Dealing With Streaming Backlash
Still, baseball fans tend to be traditional, reflecting how deeply tradition is embedded in the sport. That’s why Whitaker believes some resistance remains among a group of fans she describes as “purists”—those who expect the game to be presented as it always has been.
“I understand there’s narratives about where to watch the game, but that’s the industry right now whether people like it or not,” said Whitaker. “The streaming services offer a unique advantage. It offers a different perspective and the quality of the visual is better… You have a lot of purists in baseball, which isn’t a bad thing.”
That criticism intensified when the league opened its season this year on Netflix. The broadcast marked the platform’s first live MLB event and blended entertainment elements with the game itself. Afterward, critics pointed to everything from cross-promotion to personalities overshadowing the action on the field.
Despite the backlash, Whitaker understands why some fans did not appreciate the approach. However, she believes the bigger picture matters more as MLB expands its reach on platforms like Netflix.
“Truly, I believe that expanding and growing the game on streaming services is good for the game,” says Whitaker. “Regardless of what you thought about the Netflix product, you watched. Other people watched. It was kind of a spectacle. That’s not going to be the everyday game broadcast, that was literally one game.”
Online Criticism
In the aftermath of the broadcast, sports media outlets shared critiques across digital and social platforms. Whitaker, who also serves as a lecturer at Indiana University’s media school, took issue with some of the tone and approach.
“Everybody hates everything at first. It’s also the thing to do on social media. Negative things get clicks. Positive things don’t get as many clicks. I don’t like that narrative,” explains Whitaker. “Is this really how we want to live? In a constant bubble of negativity because it gets clicks? You can have a critical eye without being rage bait. Sometimes baseball fans have a tendency to act that way, and I don’t think it helps people.”
Whitaker engaged with some of that criticism online following the Netflix broadcast. While she admits she rarely responds, she also acknowledges that generating a response is often the goal.
“Organic negativity, I teach that phrase in my social media strategy class. I don’t think it’s cool for us to create negativity, but I do think there’s such a thing called organic negativity,” notes Whitaker. “The people talking about something the next day about an error is organic negativity. The type of negativity that’s created without reaching for understanding before using your critical eye for rage bait, that’s the negativity that I don’t like.”
Guiding the Next Generation
Since stepping away from balancing duties with the Rays and Apple, Whitaker has become a full-time instructor at her alma mater. She said she never expected to return to school as an educator but has found a strong work-life balance in the role.
Her experience provides valuable insight for students pursuing careers in media. Despite the challenges of entering the industry, Whitaker said she finds fulfillment in helping shape the next generation.
“They have that spark that the rest of us jaded in the industry lost. They remind me of it everyday,” explained Whitaker. “Don’t’ ever lose that spark and get jaded, but I think we have to cultivate it differently… People get jaded because of bad people, but also because we take things in this industry so seriously that was supposed to be fun.”
Whitaker said she now values quality over quantity as she balances teaching with her work at Apple TV. While she occasionally misses the daily grind of covering a single team, she does not miss it entirely.
Still, she does not rule out a return to a role similar to the one she held with the Rays. However, she noted any future opportunity would need to avoid the demands of a full 162-game schedule.
For Whitaker, the evolution of baseball on streaming platforms is more than an industry trend—it has shaped her own career. She has navigated instability at regional sports networks and found a more sustainable role on a global stage.
Her journey mirrors the transformation in how the game reaches fans.
While platforms, production styles, and distribution models continue to evolve, the core of her job remains the same. It is still about being in the dugout, telling stories, and bringing viewers closer to the game.
“I never want to move away from baseball, because I love it so much,” said Whitaker. “Change is the only constant in this industry… But as long as Apple TV has baseball, you’re stuck with me.”
In an era defined by disruption, that constant—the human connection to the game—may be the one thing that never changes.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
Good for her if she can make it just doing the gig on Friday nights