Beating Baseball’s Blackouts With a VPN: What Are Actual Users Saying? Does It Work?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – @tvanswerman

TV Answer Man, I read your articles about using a VPN to beat the baseball blackouts. Do you know if it really works? Do you know anyone who is using one to beat the blackout in his area using MLB TV? Please expand on this topic. — Joel, Manhattan Beach, California. 

Joel, a Virtual Private Network, known as a VPN, can beat baseball’s blackouts. The software, which you download from a VPN service and then add to your home modem and/or streaming device, will shield your location from the MLB TV servers. This enables you to watch your in-market team on MLB TV because the system thinks you are living somewhere else. (Normally, MLB TV blackouts your home team or teams.)

While MLB TV is costly ($149 for the season), it’s cheaper than paying for six months of a cable or satellite TV service, or a live streamer such as DIRECTV Stream or FuboTV.

There have been a number of questions over the years regarding whether the use of VPN to skirt blackouts is legal or ethical. But as I pointed out in one recent article, MLB says it has no position on the use of VPNs and it has never sued anyone or taken criminal action against anyone who has used one. The league is not openly encouraging you to use a VPN, but neither is it openly telling you NOT to use one.

Click Amazon: See the 1-Day-Only Discounts!

But does a VPN really work when trying to avoid a blackout of your home team?

Since MLB’s opening day last Thursday, numerous fans have taken to social media sites, such as Twitter, to boast that they are watching their home teams with a VPN. And, for the most part, they are saying the software is working as intended. Here are some of the more interesting comments:

Praise the T-Mobile and VPN gods I can watch Royals baseball for the first time in years pic.twitter.com/45TVtDrstM

— B Lew (@BLewis2080) March 30, 2023

A solid VPN is a baseball fan’s best friend #mlb

— The Couch GM (@The_Couch_GM) March 30, 2023

In a VPN you can put your location to multiple places in either the country or around the world. For example, I live in Kentucky and all of the Cincinnati Reds games are blacked out. I turned on my VPN put my location to Houston and the Reds game was available on MLB TV!

— The Bookies Boogeyman (@Vuick_) April 1, 2023

Yes you can. I watched the Twins yesterday on my MLB app yesterday at work in the Twin Cities. You just have to use a VPN.

— Tony Tecate (@thetonytecate) April 1, 2023

I only gotta pay 12 bucks a month for the vpn (and get mlb free), is Bally cheaper than that? 🤔 I didn’t look at it

— 𝚓𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚜 (@JellyStilettos) March 31, 2023

Luckily I’m out of the blackout area since I live in Cleveland. But when games are blacked out, I use VIP Box. Just make sure you use a VPN. There will be a lot of ads to click through

— Billy (@BillyK253) April 2, 2023

I don't what your situation is regarding if you have other people in your household that don't watch sports etc but for me who lives alone I use a VPN ($45 a year) and a MLB TV subscription roughly the same price per month as Bally stand-alone would solve your problem 1/2

— Nathan Fournier (@jrhockeywriter) March 31, 2023

This has been a known work around for the better part of a decade. MLB is well aware. It takes time and additional money on top of an MLB subscription to make work. Flagging every VPN IP address that routinely changes isn't worth it to stop the small % of people who do it

— BWP (@beeWpdoubleE) March 31, 2023

If you have MLB TV and a VPN to put yourself out of NY, the stream avoids most broadcast issues

— cdLevo 🇪🇭 (@cdLevo) April 2, 2023

I use ESPN+ plus a vpn to watch Kraken games. Should work the same for MLB tv

— Nick Wupper (@NickWupper) April 1, 2023

Last year I subscribed to MLB TV and used a VPN. There are limitations this way but it was quite affordable. If you buy a membership to MLBPAA you can actually save 50% on mlb tv.

— Cincy B (@bterry50) March 31, 2023

It's pathetic that using a VPN on the MLB site is easier than using the site DESIGNED FOR STREAMING THE METS

— 🍿 (@duckisgod) April 1, 2023

Subscribe to a VPN – it will let you bypass the archaic blackout restrictions

— Ewok_Baseball (@Baseball_Ewok) March 30, 2023

Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman