The question needs to be asked, with the New York Yankees winning another World Series, is this indeed proof that there is no God? Or is this an indication that Satan has gained the upper hand in the battle of good against evil? No benevolent Deity with any concept of mercy would choose to ordain the Steinbrenner family with this level of success. It bothers me when the Yankees win Championships. I know that the Cowherd's of the world will argue that it makes economic sense to have an evil empire that fans in other cities can root against; but I don't like how they can spend 400 million dollars annually on salary while the Kansas City Royals spend 20 million. That is not fair to fans in Kansas.
Normally I am an outspoken advocate of free market capitalism, but on the issue of salary caps in professional sports I transform into a Marxist idealist. While salary is not perfectly correlated to victory in sports, there is still a strong correlation. Teams with 100 million dollar payrolls probably defeat 20 million dollar payrolls at least 60%-75% of the time. I enjoy the idea of fans in Winnipeg not only having a franchise, but also being able to compete with the top market teams in the quest for talent. Hockey is different because team success is more predicated on teammate interaction than baseball. Baseball at its core is one batter and one pitcher and whether or not the batter is able to strike the flying object. Sports is a business and in theory it should be best given free market status to maximize growth, but at the same time it is a recreational activity dependent on people being personally invested in the success of a local franchise in order to succeed financially.
I say tax the shit out of the Yankees and spread the wealth. I can’t believe that I said that, but it was written in the context of professional baseball.
I can't stand the Yankees either! I had to flip the switch before the final out was made. Of all the teams to win, why does it have to be "them" again? For me, it's just as frustrating as witnessing too many championships secured in hockey by the Montreal Canadiens. I can't alter my allegiances, but I have to question myself for my undying support of the perennial losers and cellar-dwellers the Maple Leafs and the Baltimore Orioles. I'm uncertain as to the reasoning behind my masochistic tendencies, but I'm all for the taxing and distribution of wealth within the context of professional sports. The Blue Jays also have flown the dismal flight of the Orioles in terms of attendance, filling the stadiums during successful years, then leaving many vacant seats coincident with their mediocrity and abandonment by fair-weather fans.
ReplyDeletemoney, money, money, it's a rich man's world.
ReplyDeleteCome off it. You know perfectly well that the New York Yankees are the Montreal Canadiens of baseball; they house and incarnate the very spirit of the sport. They've had musicals named after them, history theses based on them. They are so iconic that they are beyond simple definitions of "good" and "bad" (I speak of institutions, not of individual players).
ReplyDeleteThe Yankees hold the spirit of America during Democratic administrations, in much the same way that the NFL and NASCAR hold the spirit of America during Republican years. They are a triumph of the American system; proof that God is an American.