Editorials

How to Watch the Dodgers in Los Angeles During the Cable Mess

As we now enter the final stretch of the MLB regular season, Dodgers fans are cherishing every last syllable from the golden voice of baseball, Vin Scully. Unfortunately, for the past few seasons, 70% of the Dodgers television market are unable to watch Vin and their home team as Vin calls the few remaining games of his historic career behind the microphone. From Robinson to Kershaw, Scully has been the voice over it all and the fact that the majority of Dodger fans are unable to hear his final year is something close to tragic.

The ongoing dispute between Time Warner Cable and television providers has been well-documented. TWC refuses to offer a more reasonable price for their Sportsnet L.A. channel while TV providers refuse to pay said price, stripping an overwhelming majority of the Dodgers’ market the pleasure of watching one of the most storied franchises in sports.



Luckily, through some tools and workarounds provided by… “someone I know,” there is a pretty simple way for fans who are caught in the middle of the ongoing financial squabble (like myself) to watch the Dodgers and Vin Scully all year. Through the use of virtual private network programs and a MLB.tv subscrition, someone I know has found a nice way to bypass the quarel between TWC and TV providers in order to watch the team I’ve loved since I was a kid. I will now share these methods with my fellow fans, so that you too can enjoy the rest of Vin Scully’s splendid career in the booth.

STEP ONE: PURCHASE AN MLB.TV SUBSCRIPTION FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE 2016 SEASON

As the season winds down, the cost of an MLB.tv subscription also drops. With only about two weeks left in the 2016 season, the price to watch the games is now around $10. However, if the subscriber’s internet location is deemed to be within the Dodgers’ market, Dodger games are still subject to local blackout, making this a moot option for fans who do not have Time Warner Cable. However, there is a workaround for this that I will share in the next step.

STEP TWO: DOWNLOAD A VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK (VPN) PROGRAM

A VPN allows an internet user the ability to mask their wifi location in order to fool MLB.tv into thinking that the subscriber is watching from elsewhere in the world. With a VPN, you can set up a fake internet location to gain access to Dodger games simply by setting your VPN location to anywhere outside the Dodgers market.

It is called Windscribe.

NOTE: It’s worth noting that “someone I know” uses Windscribe with Google Chrome in his particular set up for its simplicity. For best results, I would recommend doing as such.

To begin using Windscribe, logon to windscribe.com and begin downloading both the program and the extension for Google Chrome.

This is the homepage at windscribe.com
This is the homepage at windscribe.com

After downloading the program, open the program to begin set up and installation. Once it is installed, you must install the extension and add it to your Google Chrome browser. To access extensions, click on the three horizontal lines located just beneath the ‘close’ icon in the top right corner of your browser. Extensions will be found under “settings.”

Once your extension and program are active, you can now click the Windscribe icon next to your internet options in the top right. To activate the program, choose a location outside of the western United States and click the power button to begin disguising your internet location.

With your mock-location on, then click on the MLB.tv feed via Dodgers.com
With your mock-location on, then click on the MLB.tv feed via Dodgers.com

STEP THREE: WATCH THE DODGER GAME VIA MLB.TV

Once your VPN is active, you can now log on to Dodgers.com and click the MLB.tv service in order to watch the game. Having chosen a mock location outside the Dodgers T.V. market, you are now able to watch the Dodger game without having to worry about the game being blacked out.

Now, I’d like to address any questions or concerns you may have.

“Is Windscribe free?”

Yes! You can use it free of charge until your allotted data limit is reached. Luckily, there is a way to extend your data limit by paying a fee or tweeting a quick endorsement via Twitter. (I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and haven’t come close to my limit yet.)

“Is the use of a VPN legal?”

Well, the best answer to this question that I’ve been able to come up with is – “this tutorial is meant for people “outside” the LA market.” VPNs are used by millions of people and companies for various reasons, but this is one pretty useful way that can be used while bigwigs at TWC and numerous TV providers bicker over dollars and cents.

“Will this program adversely affect my computer/browser?” 

Admittedly, I’ve only experimented with this program for a few weeks. However, I’m amazed by how simple it is to use and I’ve experienced no adverse activity in my regular browsing. I would approach any and all issues that you may have with a case-by-case mentality. No two computer/browser setups are the same.

“But I have a Mac.”

Bless you, friend.

Luckily, Windscribe has a version of their program compatible with Mac and Linux, if I’m not mistaken.

“I feel like I’ve almost got the hang of it, but it’s not working! Please help!”

Unfortunately, Someone I know and I are still learning about all of this ourselves. For help on demand, I would recommend doing what I do- Google it. Look for help in VPN-related forums and also explore other VPN programs. There are many that are free to use with some offering premium features for subscribers.

If you need help in real time, Windscribe offers support via their website. I would also like to extend whatever help I can offer via Twitter. I’m no expert, but I’m more than happy to lend a hand to a fellow fan simply wanting to enjoy their Dodger Baseball! Follow me @JDTheRoadrunner on Twitter.

I hope we can all watch the Dodgers together and listen to the remaining games of Vin Scully’s tremendous career!

If all else fails, try Craigslist and do a search for the Dodgers. That should help immensely.

JD Miller

JD is a lifelong California native and currently writes for a subsidiary newspaper under the umbrella of The Madera Tribune. A passionate sports fan, JD loves the Dodgers along with the L.A. Kings, Lakers and Green Bay Packers.

6 Comments

  1. Here you go. Easier to use along with MLB.tv.com. Yes it costs 4.99 per month (less than the price of a Dodger Dog). We have been using ever since the TWC fiasco started (we have Cox Cable)  without issues: https://www.unblock-us.com/

  2. There is a Linux version of WIndscribe but they require you to have a paid account to use it on Linux. It looks like you might be able to use the browser extension on Linux without a paid subscription but I can’t verify that and I haven’t tried installing just the browser extension for Chrome to try it out.

    Just an FYI, but when the Dodgers faced the Red Sox I was able to use a VPN to get around NESN’s insistence that I watch their broadcast. I was able to stream Vin’s coverage of the game, and I just wish I had thought about it sooner in the series because I would have liked to see the first two games with Vin.

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