Minor leagues are the gateway drug to lifelong baseball fandom. Killing off the minor league teams is astoundingly short-sighted.
So is the complete elimination of Red Sox games from free television. Background = I grew up, until high school, in Lawrence. In the late 50s-early 60s, it was an "economically diverse" city - there were wealthy folks, some not so well-off, and many on the edge of poverty. I was lucky - but there were some who watched the 55-60 or so games in the less-fortunate areas on WHDH-TV.
Now, one might say "ah who cares? We don't need that demographic anyway."
I do know at least one fellow who grew up in the Lawrence projects, and he became a season ticket holder as an adult. Also, with today's cord-cutting attitudes - and it's not being done just in poorer areas, but across ALL economic backgrounds - they are alienating or ignoring a future audience. Chasing the short NESN money but exposing themselves to indifference down the road.