"When the Lerner family bought the Washington Nationals from Major League Baseball in 2006, the team came with a unique television contract, one that intertwined them with Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos and the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. To persuade Angelos to drop his firm stance against a team in Washington, the league struck a TV deal in which Angelos held the advantage.

Television contracts and the money generated from media rights fees have become a crucial factor in how baseball teams are run. Along with ticket sales, they are a team's primary form of income, and in recent years the fees across sports have skyrocketed. The Lerners have never had a say on their arrangement with MASN."