*Jameis Winston is trading the football field for the broadcast booth, at least for one night.
The New York Giants quarterback will appear as a “special guest” when Netflix streams the New York Yankees versus San Francisco Giants game on Wednesday, March 25. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET — a full hour before first pitch at Oracle Park.
The cameo carries real meaning given Winston’s history with the sport. At Florida State University, he competed in both baseball and football across two seasons, lining up as an outfielder and taking the mound as a pitcher. His decision to attend FSU was driven by the school’s willingness to let him pursue both sports simultaneously.
Professional baseball, however, was never an option once the NFL came calling. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made Winston the first overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and inserted language into his rookie deal barring him from signing with a professional baseball organization, per ESPN. Winston, who had long harbored ambitions in both sports, told TheMMQB.com that playing at the professional level in baseball and football “always has been my dream.”
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The game itself carries historic weight for Netflix. Wednesday marks the streaming platform’s first-ever live MLB broadcast, with the Yankees heading to the Bay Area to take on three-time All-Star Rafael Devers and San Francisco. As part of a league agreement running through 2028, Netflix will air one game each Opening Night — held the day before the traditional start of the regular season.
Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria framed the deal as a natural evolution of the platform’s relationship with the sport. “We are incredibly thankful for our partnership with Major League Baseball. We started with critically acclaimed documentaries, deepening the existing global passion for baseball,” she said, per Tudum. “Now, we are seizing that moment by bringing massive cultural spectacles — from Opening Night to the Home Run Derby — directly to our members, reinforcing Netflix as the ultimate home for both the story and the sport.”
MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. pointed to Netflix’s worldwide footprint as a key factor in the collaboration. “With a ubiquitous presence in the US and an impressive global reach, Netflix is a perfect partner for MLB as the league’s international presence and popularity continues to grow,” he said. “MLB has a diverse group of exciting international players competing in our biggest events which will create an appealing offering to Netflix subscribers around the world.”
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