NEW YORK — Hundreds of Yankees fans in New York City who hit the streets to revel in their team's 27th World Series championship have been greeted by an NYPD van, several patrol cars with lights flashing and officers standing on street corners.
Fans in Yankees jerseys and hats who watched the 7-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at sports bar Stout poured onto 33rd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues early Thursday to celebrate and remained well-behaved.
"Hundreds" of Yankees fans? As Chase Utley might say, "Are you (bleep)in' kidding me?" Hundreds? Here in Philadelphia, we throw that many fans into a police paddy wagon in the first 90 seconds after a big victory. See that picture up top? That's Phillies fans a couple of weeks ago celebrating just getting into the World Series in a way that puts New Yorkers to shame -- there's no comparable picture from Manhattan or the Bronx last night to show, no NYC equivalent of Frankford and Cottman, where regular folks pour into the streets by the thousands. And we know from last year how crazy this town would have been if we had actually won this thing.
So what's wrong with New York? OK, there are two important caveats. One, and I know from my years in and around the Big Apple that this is important, is that close to half the people in the city who care about baseball are Mets fans who hate the Yankees more than you do, if that's possible. The second is that NYC is much more of a magnet for a) immigrants who've not yet adopted our strange and wonderful traditions of baseball and b) out-of-town transients seeking to make it in theatre, media, Wall Street, whatever. In other words, the so-called "penetration rate" of Yankees fans in New York is actually much much lower than the percentage of Philadelphians who get jacked about the Phillies, despite the disparity in World Series rings.
But I think there's something else in play. If you paid attention to what's happened in the Bronx the last couple of years, the Yankees have done everything to price out of their market the kind of fan who'd paint his chest and head out to a street corner with 10,000 of his newest bestest friends. In moving into the new Yankee Stadium this year, in the teeth of the worst economy since the Great Depression, the Yankees jacked up their average ticket prices by a mindboggling 76 percent, from $41.40 to 72.97. That's also about 40 percent higher than the No. 2 team, the Boston Red Sox, where a high fan base and Fenway Park's limited seating creates huge demand. The Yankees still drew fairly well this year -- in the nation's largest city, with more millionaires than you'll find anywhere else -- but also had a couple thousand empty seats right behind home plate for most games -- even some at the World Series! -- because of premium prices as high as $2,625 for one seat.
And you wonder why New York's Joe Sixpack wasn't excited last night?
I saw a sad story in the New York Times during the Series, about how moving across the street into their $1.5 billion palace -- which elected officials, who financed the infrastructure with tax dollars, claimed would be a boon to local merchants in the faded Bronx neighborhood -- had in fact devastated many of these local businesses, souvenir shops and working-class-style tap rooms. The article was kind of weak on explanation, but you have to think the kind of stockbroker dudes paying hundreds of bucks to see a baseball game aren't going to shop in, you know, the Bronx -- unless you count the Yankees' own clean and overpriced merchandise shop inside their elite fortress of a ballpark. That's great for the Yankees economically, which is how they buy the best players, but you don't have to grease your streetlamps for partying investment bankers when you win, either.
On the whole, I'd rather be in a winning Philadelphia, of course. But beyond that, I'd also rather be in the kind of city that goes wild for its two World Series wins, instead of the one that yawns at its 27 titles. Wouldn't you?
(Blogger's note: It's a long weekend for me, thanks to a scheduling flip. So I'll see you early next week.)
So I guess, because NY fans don't destroy their city afterwards that means that they don't care about baseball. I think it is just having class acting like real champions. The way back in the day Barry Sanders just used to hand the ball to the ref, instead of acting like a fool.— BLUEDEVIL- The fans money can buy.— chasing history
- Jealousy, thy name is Bunch.— WriteWinger
- I am living in NY now and there was not a peep after the Yankees won. Cars were not honking, people were not out. Nobody cared.— birds
- "because NY fans don't destroy their city afterwards that means that they don't care about baseball." No, not because they didn't destroy the city...Philadelphia was not destroyed last year either...it is because they don't come out to celebrate peacefully that is the indicator that they don't care about their Yankees.— legatus
- they are too accustomed to the yanks winning.— whsmith
- If the Tigers had won, cars would be burning, people would get shot, stores would be looted and Detroit would look even more like Beirut than it already does.— pj katauskas
- Really Bluedevil? Are you just "playing" dumb or are you really? No one is saying anything about turning over covers or breaking windows, etc. It was ridiculous for you to go to that extreme in defense of your city's lack of enthusiasm. This isnt a big secret. Its been talked about for the past few weeks about how theres this weird lack of interest or excitment for the Yankees. I also saw it during the regular season too when i went to Yankee stadium to see the Phillies play the Yanks. The Phillies fans almost outnumbered the Yankee fans and they definitly were louder at the game. Now I dont want to hear all that BS nonsense about winning 27 titles so your used to it blah blah blah. If your gonna use that ridiculous overused excuse then spare me. Its ok if your not as good a sports town as we are. Theres no shame in it and its not a big deal. No one is bragging here. But its become pretty obvious that we are just a better sports town than NY is. We love our teams more, we are more passionate. We live and die with our teams. And if you think your fans are any different than Philly fans or any city's fans regarding class then dont kid yourself because I wont even talk about what I saw some of the Yankee fans doing at Yankee stadium this year. You wanna talk about low class. Wow.— philliekev04
- I love how NY fans always defend their lack of enthusiam with the same tired bologna excuse.. . We have more class than you. or my favorite.... "I guess because we dont destroy our city and set fires and turn cars over that means we dont care" Please SPARE ME. When it comes to fan behavior your city is no different than anyone else. So take that conceited snooty corporate, we're better people than everyone else attitude and shove it because our fan base is totally superior to yours when it comes to love for our teams and passion and enthusiasm. I could hear a pin drop in your stadiums compared to ours. So go lay back down on those plus couches at Yankee stadium and have another martini. Dont forget to raise your pinky in the air when you drink. PS - couches at the stadium? seriously? LMAO!!!!!!!— philliekev04
- i agree with whsmith. phillies one the city's first championship in over two decades. not to mention philly's city is much more central, in that, when they won, all the idiots that wanted to go out in the street and be at best, loud and celebrating, and at worst, destructive, they knew where the party so to speak was going to be at. does ny have a place like broad street where everyone wants to head down to celebrate? probably not, because ny is so much different than philly. lastly, why go into the streets in the first place, just to either be part of the scence, or to cause trouble. why not just celebrate with your friends you are watching the game with in whatever location you are at? since when did mob gathering after a championship become the accepted norm?— Greg S
Comment removed.- What sport did you play swifty? lol, and talking about girls behind home plate, let's not forget about the cross dresser Gulliani.— chasing history
- Comment removed.
- Where were the celebrating Yankee fans? From my perspective as a Phillies phan teacher in NY it seemed as if they all found reasons yesterday to stop by my school to gloat. I'm talking students, colleagues, parents, vendors etc. You name 'em, I saw 'em. Oy.— GreyHippie
- "Detroit would look even more like Beirut than it already does." Great reference--if it was 1989. Seen Beirut lately?— xmrhyde
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
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