MLB approves robot umpires for 2026 as part of challenge system

What “robot umpires” actually are

• Several commenters note this is not literal robots but an automated camera/tracking system used on challenge.
• “Robot” is seen as media shorthand for non-human adjudication rather than autonomous machines or AI.

Soul of the game vs fairness and accuracy

• One camp sees human umpires’ quirks as “soul”: learning each umpire’s zone, “tie goes to the runner,” and the tradition of blown calls and arguments.
• Others argue bad calls are not soul; the premise of sport is correct or at least fair rule enforcement, especially now that TV shows every miss in high resolution.
• Some feel MLB is over-optimizing and flattening the sport (DH changes, shifts, spin-rate obsession), while approving of changes like the pitch clock that raise the value of specific skills.

Support for the limited challenge system

• Many fans like the hybrid ABS/challenge model: it removes egregious mistakes while preserving framing, umpire judgment, and some “human element.”
• The limit on challenges (and players, not managers, triggering them) adds a new layer of strategy: when to use them, which players’ eyes to trust, whether a catcher should save them for his pitcher.
• Stats cited: roughly 93% of ball/strike calls are already correct overall, but accuracy in the “shadow zone” is lower, making the finite challenge resource important.

Critiques of the challenge model; calls for full automation

• Some dislike that “ground truth” exists but is only applied when a player asks; they’d prefer every pitch be called by ABS and umps focus only on judgment plays.
• Others view the current setup as a political compromise to preserve the plate umpire’s role and catcher framing.

Comparisons to other sports

• Tennis and cricket’s use of tech (Hawk-Eye, DRS, audio-based edge detection) are repeatedly cited as successful precedents that increased trust and drama.
• Several cricket fans say similar fears were voiced there years ago, but the sport ultimately benefitted.
• Football/soccer and basketball officiating debates (including bribery scandals) are referenced to illustrate how tech and betting change perceptions of fairness.

Impact of sports betting and integrity concerns

• One view: the real driver for automation is the explosion of legal app-based betting and micro-bets (e.g., single pitches), which heightens suspicion of corruption.
• Others push back, arguing MLB has been slow to adopt tech for many reasons (tradition, umpire union, commissioner priorities) and betting is only one factor.
• There is broad unease about modern gambling’s scale and constant advertising, especially around kids.

Fan experience, arguments, and theatrics

• Some lament losing the joy of debating balls and strikes with friends, and the spectacle of managers raging and getting ejected.
• Others find those confrontations juvenile and expect ejections to drop, with remaining fireworks mostly around hit-by-pitch disputes.
• Commenters note ABS challenges in spring training were quick and entertaining, creating new drama when players challenge umps and are proved right or wrong in real time.

Jobs, “AI,” and tech creep

• Multiple people stress that this doesn’t eliminate umpires and is not really “AI”; it automates a narrow, well-defined task.
• A few expect a long-term slope toward more automation at the plate, while others argue there will always be enough judgment calls near home to justify a human umpire.