Sunday Question: Why do you hate the Yankees?
Not all of you hate the Yankees, and certainly we don’t. However, there is a great amount of you -YES, YOU! – the card collecting world that hate our dear old ‘Stripes.
So, today’s question: Why do you hate the Yankees?
I know why Red Sox fans hate them. I am curious as to why a Dodgers fan who never saw his team play in Brooklyn or a San Diego fan who has no ties whatsoever to the Yankees hates this team. Or why a Cincinnati Reds fans can’t get rid of the bad taste in their mouth when it comes to the 26-time World Champions?
Ok, sorry, I had to throw that last part in.
Seriously, though, Why?
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Really, it's not the Yankees I hate, it's their "fans". 🙂
Whether the Yankees win or lose on a given day would mean very little if it didn't mean I'd be bombarded with idiocy the next day, or not. If the Yankees lose, I don't have to hear about how clutch Jeter is. I don't have to hear what great chemistry they have. I don't have to hear about the rings. I don't need to hear Fox Sports tell me every thirty seconds that even though they're losing…they can always come back.
That's why I'd rather see the Yankees lose than the Red Sox win. That way, I can go to the mall in peace.
1. Jeffrey Freakin' Maier
2. Yankee Fans
3. New York/New Jersey accents
4. Mark Teixeira
5. All of those World Series rings
I'm not an out and out Yankee hater, in fact I find that I dislike the Red Sox more than I dislike the Yankees at this point. Here's the thing though (for both teams):
The national media is always, always talking about them. No matter what. For the rest of the country we have the Yankees crammed down our throats all season–it is exhausting and annoying, especially when our own teams barely get any love.
Of course, the other reason is that the Yankees have so much money to spend that that can just go out and get the best free agents every year. Such that even competitive teams that are one piece away don't have a chance if the Yankees want them. That is why many of us want them to lose–it feels like any championships they win will have been purely bought (and that's hard to argue with). The fact that they haven't won recently gives us all a sense of pleasure and makes us think that the universe understands the situation as well.
In all, it is just Yankee and Red Sox overexposure that makes the rest of us think "man, F*** that team" The reality is that none of us care, but we're treated as though we should care or that there is something wrong with us if we don't care. Red Sox-Yankees! Yankees do this, yankees do that! This is news! Jeter!! etc.
For the true Yankees fans out there, more power to you. I've actually found that I've come to respect the Yankees fans who can look at their team with a critical eye, but from the baseball fans in the room, there is more to the game than just the Yankees. Despite how they're presented, they are not the be all and end all of the game.
Hope that made sense and didn't sound too much like a rant.
Wow, are you ready for some long-winded comments?
Where do I begin?
I wasn't around for the Brooklyn Dodgers days, but I was around for the days when the Yankees and Dodgers played each other in back-to-back World Series in 1977 and 1978.
Those were the first World Series I actually paid full attention to, and as a Dodger fan I was very excited to see my team there.
You can imagine my disappointment when the Dodgers lost both times. Each time a key call went the Yankees' way (Garvey not being called safe at home in extra innings of the '77 World Series; Reggie Jackson not being called for interference for sticking his hip out in the '78 World Series).
But that was only a small part of it. Those World Series were also my first encounter with the Yankees fans. It was the first time I had seen fans throw stuff on the field during a Series game, actually attempting to hit players. And that left an impression.
At my school, jerk-offs were Yankees fans. Not every Yankee fan was like that (my best friend was a Yankee fan). But if the kid was a jerk-off, he was probably a loud, obnoxious Yankee fan.
I don't enjoy how a lot of Yankees fans are in your face all the time. Their loud nature. That's not me. The constant reminders — like Section 36 says — of how successful they've been in the past, how many rings they have. How it has to be mentioned constantly on YES.
And, I grew up in the beginnings of free agency, too. I watched the Yankees throw what seemed at the time enormous amounts of money at players (everyone not a Yankee fan was outraged by how much money Winfield got at the time), trying to "buy" a World Series, instead of building your team through trades and farm system. At time it seemed like a rich man's solution — throw money at the problem.
Now, many other teams are like the Yankees — trying to buy a championship. But those other teams don't have George Steinbrenner, who really was an unlikeable guy for a long time.
The Yankees of my childhood were bickering, melodramatic jerks. Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin, Lou Piniella. I couldn't figure out why anyone would root for them.
Even though I never saw Brooklyn play, I've read enough about their history to sympathize with the team and really the Brooklyn history is why I am firmly a Dodger fan. The Brooklyn Dodgers were fun, they tried to win, but it wasn't the same as the Yankees where it seems to be:
WE MUST WIN ALL THE TIME. AND IF WE DON'T THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY.
I just can't get into that. (Jim Murray, a famous sportswriter said famously, "rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for U.S. Steel." — that's how I feel).
Sure, try to win, but don't fire everyone if you don't and don't be so loud about it.
I've said before, I could start a blog on why I don't like the Yankees. I'm sure there are plenty of reasons that I haven't mentioned.
Sorry, this is long. And I feel weird talking about how much I hate the Yankees on a blog written by two Yankees fans. You folks, I hope you know, aren't like some of the Yankees fans I encounter.
It's the fans. I don't dislike the Yankees personally. Not even Teixeira. I'm sure Derek Jeter is a likable guy. He's got an insanely hot girlfriend, and for a below average shortstop, has had some great years with the bat. But the fans make me want to tear my eyeballs out with a fork. You'd think that there are two teams in MLB. Then 28 teams in AAAA, etc….
I won't even go into Fox and Espn… that would be a book unto it's own.
For example, the Montreal Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups, far and away more than any other franchise. They even lef the Yankees until NY decided to buy a couple more.
Do hockey fans outside of Boston hate Montreal? Not really. Because the fans don't shove it everybody's faces every chance they get. There is a certain class about it. A mystique.
That does not exist in baseball.
As a fan of any ball player, we all think/talk about our fave as if they were better than they are. But with Yankee fans it's exponential. Posada is below average at his position. Damon is done. Jeter is not making errors only because he can't get to most grounders anymore. Don't even talk to me about Matsui. (why isn't Jetere with that bat, Dh'ing???) But if you listen to the fans, it's the second coming of Ruth / DiMaggio / etc… hardly…
Be a fan of your team. Stick up for them when other people tallk smack. Be happy when you win. but lose the attitude.
(btw, just in case, this was NOT directed at you 2 personally,I'm talking here as a whole group, please don't take offense)
I don't necessarily "hate" them, but I'm not a big fan of the team getting blown calls go their way. It seems to happen almost every time I watch a Yankees game, and I do watch their games more than just against the White Sox.
A perfect example is
http://whitesoxcards.blogspot.com/2009/08/safe-or-out.html
Even Stevie Wonder could have seen that, yet a trained umpire doesn't. That's my only beef with the Yankees.
I could care less about ESPN's nonstop coverage of all things Yankees. I know there's an east coast bias focusing on the Yankees and the Red Sox. I accept that and move on. That has nothing to do with the sanctity of the game itself.
I think the fans of each team should be passionate about their team. Unfortunately, a lot of fans are completely oblivious to what's going on with other teams, therefore their arguments are silly and uninformed when talking to fans of other teams.
That's one of the many reasons why I like our community. There's a lot of passion for teams, but there is an intelligent dialogue happening.
Of course I, like other, exclude present company from my previous comment.
I don't hate the Yankees, but do get up emotionally for the games against Seattle (hometown) and Boston (nowtown). They've got such a typecast role, which is part of the one-note frustration with sports media. It's disappointing they never play the underdog or have a chance to "overachieve."
A second effect is the fervor businesses try to whip up between Boston and New York as big-money markets. Most of the bile comes from people wanting to make a dollar and that's easy to get sick of, especially as a primary fan of other teams. (What, our dollars are no good? 🙂
I don't hate the Yankees… well, at least not since 2000.
I do hate the Yankee "fans" that try to shove the 26 championships at you as justification for everything — especially ones who can't remember a Yankee player from before Derek Jeter's era.
I also hate the way that the national TV announcers love to fawn all over the Yankees… as if the other teams that make the playoffs are the baseball equivalent of the Washington Generals.
I don't hate the Yankees, they have always had good players, but I don't like is the way the Yankees and a few other teams suck up all the attention. I am always looking for Padres stuff which is kinda tuff living in Oregon. Then I get a catalog from some organization (MLB) with really cool stuff in it and go cool I want one of those with a Padres logo on it, but find out that it is only available with a Yankees, Red Sox or three other teams on it. I could understand this from JC Penney or someone, but even MLB is telling me my team plays second fiddle to the Yankees.
Also many of the fans are only fans (not you guys) because the Yankees are regarded as "Coool". and anyone who is not a Yankee fan is an idiot, most of them don't a thing about baseball or the players but will diss on anyone who doesn't love them some Yankees.
Thank you for this forum.
Hate might be a little strong, but also being from a major market, here in Chicago, we live by a simple sports fan code, "No New York team should win anything, ever."
As an Indians fan, I'd say a lot of it continues over from historical rivalry. While the Tribe and the Yankees now only play like 6 games a year, I do think the heated play of the 40's and 50's helps fuel a "rivalry" of sorts for Cleveland fans (including myself) today. I also agree with some of the previous comments on the absolute bottomless payroll account, the constant media coverage (while it often seems no national news outlet can ever like a Cleveland team sometimes) and the attitude of some fans. And I think the fact that a good Cleveland boy like Steinbrenner runs the team doesn't help either…
But actually, after the 2007 ALDS I really don't mind them quite as much (mostly Joba though)
the yankees have every advantage there is. revenue that they don't share but expect the royals and rangers etc. to come to that billion dollar stadium and beat them up. this year alone they spent a quater billion dollars on 3 guys and already had a 200 million payroll they sign all stars that small market teams can't then they act like bullies please why not just have 2 yankee teams of highest paid ball players and just play intra squad games.
I think ESPN plays a huge part in the anti-Yankee movement.
They over saturate them during the season.
George Steinbrenner
I used to hate the Yankees, then I met Red Sox fans.
I'm a little late chiming in on this one, but as a die-hard (and often) Texas Rangers fan, the primary reason for disliking the Yankees is that the Rangers have made the playoffs only three times and been unceremoniously bounced each time by the Yankees. The Rangers are a paltry 1-9 in the playoffs courtesy of the Bronx Bombers and that while the pitiful effort of my favorite team isn't the fault of the Yankees, it happened at their hands and thus the contempt. Of course, I get tired of the constant media coverage. Honestly, do they schedule the Red Sox and Yankees to play EVERY Sunday night on ESPN? Maybe it just seems that way. Normally I don't villify a single player, but I honestly can't stand ARod. He came to Texas for the money (I certainly don't hold that against him, but it was HIS choice). Then he didn't like the fact that he was surrounded by young, lowly paid players and didn't have any chance at the playoffs! What did he expect…there wasn't enough money to bring in a bunch of other free agents. Tom Hicks was an idiot to give that contract to him in the first place. ARod certainly put up big money numbers while he was here (but we know all about that now don't we?). I can't even hold the reason he put up the numbers against him because that was the name of the game then. What people around here didn't like was the way he bad mouthed the young players calling them babies when he was the one being coddled like a newborn. I know the Yankees will win another World Series (or 20) down the road, I just hope it never happens for ARod. Never! But that's just me.
Sorry this is so late…
First and foremost, I am a Padres fan. That being said, I do not hate the Yankees. The Padres ran into a MONSTER in '98. The better team won.
There are traits of (some) Yankees FANS that I hate… Of course, that could be said of all other teams' fans.
I respect the history of the team, and I like the vast majority of the current players. I don't hate the Yankees, I just don't need to hear how superior they are to my team.