
The New York Yankees are the most known sports franchise in the world. You can travel to Seattle or Singapore and see Yankee caps and shirts. So there are fans from everywhere, although the bulk of the fans are in the New York/New Jersey area, there are also plentiful fans in Connecticut, Maryland and Florida. When the Yankees play in Camden Yards or at Tampa Bay, it’s sometimes hard to tell who the home team is.
But, exactly what is a Yankee fan? Well, that’s as big a question as to how many Yankee fans are there in the world. Like in all sports, there is the fair-weather fan and the fan for life, regardless of the win or loss. Some are what I call half fans. They watch a few games during the season and watch if the Yankees are in the playoffs. They mostly don’t know a lot about Yankees history or the past Yankee greats. But they still call themselves Yankee fans.
There are also what is frequently called the “cry babies.” Those are people who call themselves fans but are more often critical than supportive. They frequently watch most games but criticize every poor play and are likely to say this guy or that should be traded. They are also seldom satisfied. If the Yankees win the World Series, that’s not enough; they should have swept that team. But yet regardless, they are still Yankee fans.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Yankee fan blindly supports every move the Yankees make, whether it’s in the best interest of the team or not.
Then there is the “what I call” the true New York Yankee fan. He or she loves their Yankees even when they lose. They constantly root for the team to do well and love all the players. They understand the Yankees’ traditions and policies and, for the most part, are knowledgeable about Yankee history. They have probably been lifelong Yankee fans and can’t wait for the next World Series win. They hold in reverence Yankee players of the past, whether it be Babe Ruth, the Iron Horse, The Chairman of the Board, Mantle or Maris, Jeter, or Rivera. They know most by their first name and nickname. They also regularly brag about wins or plays that were made 20 years ago. They most likely also really don’t like the Red Sox, the Astros, and now the Rays and their players.
And finally, there is me. I mostly fall into the last category, except that I am a baseball fan first and a Yankee fan second. I love the game of baseball, whether it’s the little league, college, or the bigs. I like to stay relatively abreast of what’s going on with all the MLB teams. I like to know about their strengths and weaknesses. But from Spring training to the last day of the season, I am Go Yankees all the way. If the Yankees aren’t in the World Series, I still watch and root for the team I like most. But that being said, if the Red Sox are involved, I’ll root for any team opposing them.
In closing, let me say no matter what kind of fan you are, whether you are a new fan or have been a fan for life of the New York Yankees, you are a fan of the greatest, most successful sports team globally. And you are blessed. We are all united in urging our Yankees to our 28th World Championship.