And now, the documentary on the Dodgers TV situation: ‘Moneyball Too’

A free screening of “Moneyball Too” is available until 9 p.m. PT Thursday at https://youtu.be/h3_dQBbmxjg

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I’ll confess that I’m coming around on this television blackout. I now think it must be a good thing. After all, the Dodgers lead baseball in attendance, have a clubhouse full of stars and reside firmly in first place.

What’s so wrong with that?

Perhaps all teams should have blackouts. I now volunteer my services to negotiate all upcoming regional TV deals across the nation, of which there are many.

I’ve never been much for fine print, so I promise not to scrutinize the agreements too severely. You can skip your expensive legal eagles. I mean, how many Ivy League attorneys looked at that Time Warner Cable contract — which lacked performance clauses — and said: “Really? $330 mil a year? That’ll cover payroll. Why not?”

Filmmaker Tom Wilson thinks he knows why not. In large part, he blames the Dodgers for the standoff, now in its third season. He’s so concerned — with the moral outrage only a true baseball fan can muster — that he’s made a documentary about the blackout, “Moneyball Too,” which screened the other day at USC’s Annenberg Institute of Sports, Media & Society.

Let me warn you: It’s clear from watching the hourlong documentary that Wilson is not nearly as enlightened over this blackout as I am. Like many fans, he’s fed up.

“The reason I made this is because I kept hearing people say it’s DirecTV’s fault, or it’s TWC’s,” Wilson said after the screening. “But I really didn’t hear anyone blaming the Dodgers.”

So he made this little documentary, on his own dime, featuring a timeline of the deal and raising some interesting, and heavily editorialized, points:

• Baseball is a game you need to grow up with, and that begins with the availability of televised games.

• The Dodgers franchise has gone from Frank McCourt, who drove it into bankruptcy, to almost an embarrassment of riches under Guggenheim, which faces little financial squeeze if this blackout festers for many years to come.

• The situation reflects the disconnect between fans’ romanticized view of baseball and the economic realities of the cable TV industry.

• Under Guggenheim, TV viewership has dropped from 228,000 per game to 75,000, reflecting lack of access and a bleeding of fan interest in an increasingly troubled brand.

What? A troubled brand? Dodger Stadium has rarely looked better. The restrooms work, food lines are shorter, menu choices are growing. Each night, the Dodgers field one of the most exciting lineups in all of sports. They seem poised to rule the West again, and have the sort of deep pockets and financial mojo to upgrade the roster even further.

The Dodgers say “Moneyball Too” perpetuates misunderstandings on the issue, particularly that the monthly charge TWC is seeking would get passed on in full to consumers. The team says cable providers typically absorb much of that monthly charge.

So, what’s not to like, Mr. Wilson? What do you have against winners?

TV deals punish low-income people more than others, he says, as regional networks increasingly deny free over-the-air access. And even if DirecTV and other providers accept TWC’s latest offer, that increased price will get passed on to consumers in some fashion, in a bill that’s often impossible to decipher.

(TWC says there is no news on blackout talks, since its offer in March to lower costs. DirecTV, often considered TWC’s lead adversary in the standoff, declined to comment, though it told The Times it is willing to meet. Last week, Rep. Janice Hahn [D-San Pedro] called on the parties to restart talks. TWC responded to Hahn on Wednesday that it was willing to meet next week. Hahn says she has yet to hear from DirecTV. No party involved can say it is making a good-faith effort on behalf of the fans and the city and not be willing to talk.)

Overall, Wilson actually makes a pretty good case, featuring interviews with reporters (including three from The Times), media experts as well as frustrated fans.

Most troubling of all: Wilson introduces an interesting little wrinkle in this entire issue: By failing to execute this massive TV deal, the Dodgers and TWC have exposed a tepid TV interest in the game that jeopardizes other pending regional negotiations. Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City and Detroit are among the markets about to dive into new TV deals.

Look, I don’t have all the answers. I’m no “king of common sense,” as Dodgers owner Mark Walter once described himself. Walter is an investment czar. I barely understand annuities.

I’m just another fan with mustard on his T-shirt who misses the Dodgers on the tube.

chris.erskine@latimes.com

Twitter: @erskinetimes