For the last few days, I've kept on asking myself the same question:
"Why does the entire world, except for Yankees fans, hate the Yankees?"
I've narrowed my reasoning down to two explanations:
1) Everybody is jealous of their 26 World Championships; and,
2) Everybody is insanely jealous of their 26 World Championships.
OK, OK. So I know that the only difference between choice one and two above is the adjective "insanely"; however, I am completely convinced of this.
Case in point, growing up I was told by my uncle who lived in Massachucetts that if I ever ventured to Fenway Park, I was better off leaving any sign of my allegiance to the Yankees "in the car."
Why, I asked. What would happen to me if, say, I caught a Red Sox game at Fenway Park while wearing my Yankees cap.
"Have you ever spent three hours in the freezing cold with beer spilled all over your head?" my Uncle asked.
Obviously my reply was no.
Partly because I was just a youngster at the time, but also because I wasn't able to fully grasp the idea of the insane jealousy that exists amongst Red Sox fans, who, at the time, hadn't won anything in generations.
As I got older, I understood why Red Sox fans took everything the Yankees did personally. The rivalry between the two teams became more evident.
But, I have never been able to grasp the idea that fans of other teams could be jealous of the Yankees. I mean, what beef do the Milwaukee Brewers have with the Yankees? Or the Chicago Cubs? Or even the Oakland A's, despite playing in the same league?
Certainly each of these teams has had their fair share of superstar players through the years, most of whom never "defected" to the Yankees. The Brewers had a lifer in Robin Yount, the Cubs in Ryne Sandberg and the A's...well, OK - you got me there. But the A's made out pretty well in the first Rickey Henderson deal and I think that the A's got the most out of Jason Giambi before the 2000 AL MVP signed on with the Yankees as a free agent.
And for all the second- and third-place finishes the Yankees endured from the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s, there were a handful of other teams that consistently won during that time period that drew very little ire from Yankees fans, such as the A's, Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
I mean, how many Yankees fans really despised Orel Hershiser or Fernando Valenzuela? How about Kirk Gibson or Tom Lasorda? Or John Smoltz and Tom Glavine? What about Mark McGwire or Jose Canseco?
As a Yankees fan, I am very much content with my allegiance and do not concern myself with what the next team is doing, be it the Red Sox or the Mets or the Devil Rays, for that matter.
The Yankees play by the rules that were built and agreed to by every other team in Major League Baseball. They share their revenue. They pay their luxury taxes, as appropriate.
So everytime that I read how the Yankees are "everything that's wrong with baseball," I can't help but curiously chuckle, because the explanations that follow are usually devoid of logic and reek of jealous pie.
8 comments Last one added 5 months ago — Leave a Comment
Anonymous about 1 year ago
I always thought it was because the players and many of their fans are one of the most obnoxious collections of individuals in sports.
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Divya Parmar about 1 year ago
It may be because they get all the media attention and the supposed "East Coast Bias". Also, they play in the biggest media market, and make the most money to spend on their players.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
you've got yankee fans/players confused with the boston red sox (and their fans). only in boston (or new england) can you find a mixture of "liberals" who all practice their hidden homophobia once the yankees roll in to town (e.g. jeter swallows, etc.). maybe they're angry because if jeter or a-rod were actually gay, they'd go to their state in order to get married. these fans are also the most arrogant bunch of perpetual losers you'll ever see. in addition, red sox fans (particularly their women fans) are the biggest bandwagon riders you'll ever meet. and, speaking about arrogance and being obnoxious, only in boston can you see a man wear goggles before a game is even over (ortiz) as he prepares for a champagne shower (he probably recieves a golden shower in his hotel from manny ramirez, who is too lazy to use a toilet). you can then see j. papelbon dance on the field after a victory, which definitely demonstrates the class of the red sox players (obviously).
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
We hate the Yankees mainly because of their ridiculous financial advantage that undermines the competitive integrity of the game. The 26 rings are pretty hollow when you can outspend everyone by such a ridiculous amount.
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ellen klein about 1 year ago
What about Red Sox's burgeoning payroll?
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Financial advantage? The Yankees have paid $100 million a year the past few years in revenue sharing and luxury tax. What has been done with this money intended to improve other teams? The multi-billion dollar property MLB.com handed out profit sharing to all 30 teams recently. Early reports said each team got $30 million. Later reports--unprovable--lowered the figure to about $3 million/team. The point is, the owners decided to add expansion teams because they wanted the money. Complain to them.
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michael eisner about 1 year ago
So are the Red Sox last two Championships "hollow," as well?
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Matt Donnell 5 months ago
I am a REAL Baseball fan who also happens to be a Yankee fan. I also played the game in College, so I may understand a little more about the game than other folks. I don't hate the Red Sox, nor do I hate the New York Mets. I respect the opposition, and when the team I root for wins, great. When they lose, maybe they will go out and win in the next game. The Yankee-Red Sox Rivalry is both fun and exciting, yet I do not get wrapped up in the "We rule, they suck" mentality. Maybe there is something deeper in the psyche of people who live in New England, maybe they are shut in for to long in the snow of the winter months and have plenty of time on their hands to ponder the Red Sox & Yankees. The City of Boston is a nice place, great place to visit, great restaurants, great college town (played against Boston College there), but it is not New York. Maybe that is it. New York City is the capital of the Business World (Finance, Banking, Advertising, Publishing, Diplomacy with the UN, Broadway, Museums, Culture, Restaurants and of course there are two baseball teams, two football teams (NJ, but still with NY moniker) and three hockey teams within shouting distance. Boston had the Braves with Casey Stengel at the helm, but could not support bothem & Red Sox so the Braves skipped town.
Sounds like an insecurity complex if you ask me. But, fans of the Red Sox have passion and deserve credit for that. If there were no Yankees & their fans to hate, what would the Sox fans do with all of that aggression? Make fun of John McCain? Blast all of the loyal Yale fans at the annual installment of "The Game"? Real baseball fans respect the game. If Sox fans still feel the need to say "Yankees Suck" after winning two Championships since 2004 while the Yankees won none, sounds to me like they have not enjoyed their championships at all. Too bad for them. They just don't know how to win gracefully.
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