If you’re reading this, you either understand the inevitable pain that comes with the territory of being a Yankee fan, or you’re from New England and are preparing yourself to counter every argument I make. Either way, the success of the New York Yankees franchise as a whole can’t be denied, and, for all you supporters, it is your strongest argument. Does the number 27 ring a bell to anyone? How about the number 2?
Unless you live in the state of New York, being a Yankee fan can be a full-time job. The citizens of New York have a good enough reason to call themselves fans, but what do the rest of us have as an excuse? Most people can’t wrap their head around the fact that anyone could choose to be a Yankee fan, and forget it if you live in New England. Announcing that you are a Yankee fan is bound to start a heated argument, similar to that of starting a conversation about politics, or the extremely controversial issue of whether or not the dress was black and blue after all.
Statistically speaking, the team has the most fans in baseball, and simultaneously the most haters. People love to hate the Yankees. Red Sox fans hate them by nature (and, by extension, they hate their fans), but these days it seems they don’t have much of a leg to stand on. After all, it’s hard to argue against a team that has won the World Series 27 times, and appeared in 40 (compared to the Red Sox’s 8 and 12, respectively), but the fans sure do try. Red Sox lovers have concocted a variety of rationalizations over the years in an attempt to strip the Yankees of their deserving praise. The one I hear most often involves the Yankees buying their wins, but of all the teams that are overspending on their players, they seem to be the best at it. Another favorite point of theirs is that Yankee fans love to live in the past and talk about all of their previous successes, and what about now? But those who fail to remember history are doomed to repeat it, right? I’m willing to bet Red Sox fans don’t want to repeat anything in their history that came before 2004, and, if they’re of an older generation, try throwing out the name “Bucky Dent” and watch the fire grow in their eyes.
To the Yankee fan that puts up with all this crap from New England fans: I’m telling you to stand your ground. Their biggest claim to fame is how long they can hold a grudge for, and if you need further proof of this, I suggest you type "The Curse of The Bambino" into Google and read up on how that began. Eventually, the fans run out of points to make and just get frustrated over the fact that they won’t be winning this argument anytime soon. If these Red Sox fans are friends of yours, do your best to write this off as their only major flaw. You can’t hold it against them if they have poor taste in shoes, so the same applies to baseball teams, right? Finally, they’ll probably accuse you at least once or twice of being a bandwagon fan to their overall success, but remind them that the Yankees have only one World Series win in the last 15 years, despite all this money they’re accused of spending and here you are still proudly announcing your loyalty anyways. Being a Yankee fan in the New England region is actually a good source of entertainment, as long as you have well-prepared counter arguments in your back pocket.
