Boston and New York ruining baseball?

Question

I think they are destroying the sport. Sure thee players are cool and its fun to watch especially if you are from boston.. but the yankees and sox have created so many fans who have NO clue about baseball.. its disgusting. they just jump on the bandwagon and root for those teams who inject money into a program and, well, end up winning a lot. My question really is who thinks that this kind of thing is ruining the game? It seems to be more evident with baseball than any other sport. Please dont think i am bashing the teams it has nothing to do with the players, REAL fans, etc... its the way the programs are run.

FYI i wanted to say that i have no problem with actual fans of boston and new york. the fans that go to the game. no doubt they are some of the best fans in baseball.. its the people who buy into it and the other fans that suffer... and btw im a cleveland indians fan. Good program. BTW steinbrenner tried to buy them.. so i would probably be in the same boat if he would have stuck to his home crowd.

AGAIN i DO NOT have anything against the KNOWLEDGEABLE fans. you guys obviously love your team and that is a GREAT thing. the problem that i have is what it does to other teams. look at a texas game and see that there are barely any people AT ALL. is it really profitable for the economy? not the economy of the cities who cannot afford 300 million a year for payroll.

J-far has a good point...

just wanted to say i really just want to shed light on the situation and here waht u have to think. im not trying to hate. thanks guys. it gets really frustrating though watching a team like (indians). I appreciate your honest answers

Answer 1

Both teams are ruining baseball with the escalation of salaries with no revenue-sharing. For those that say, "Well, why should we have to share revenue? If the other teams can't make it, too bad" realize that without competition, your precious Red Sux and Spankmes will be playing with each other, which is essentially what they're doing anyway.

That, and both sets of fans are irritating pieces of crap who think that only their rivalry matters in the sport, with ESPN fellating both groups so much it's sickening. At least the Spankme fans know how to handle success, since they're used to it; Red Sux fans think they're God's gift to the planet since the Spankmes were dumb enough to let them come back from 3-0 down and the Cardinals basically bent over and let the rape happen in the World Series.

Key evidence of the stagnation fomented by these two teams? The standings in the American League East have been the same every year since the Devil Rays entered the league.

New York
Boston
Toronto
Baltimore
Tampa Bay

The only exception to this was 2004, when the Orioles finished third and the Blue Jays fourth.

Answer 2

Yea dude, you're totally off. NY and Boston have made baseball what it is today because both team have so many fans. And I will be the first to admit that I jumped on the Red Sox bandwagon 4 years ago but unlike a lot of people, I learned about the team, the players, the history and now I can say I am a diehard sox fan!

You have to also keep in mind that without these 2 teams in the hunt every year, nobody would watch. Fans always want to see the Yankees and the Redsox go all the way, just like they want to see the Lakers in the NBA or the Cowboys in the NFL. These big teams bring in the ratings...so maybe you should be blaming the leagues or even the media for placing so much attention on the big name teams.

Answer 3

Alright, first of all they (Red Sox and Yankees) aren't helping the economics of pro baseball. They are the two powerhouses in the AL East and they're bidding wars on every superstar free agent has turned into the cold war of pro baseball. The Yankees have always had many fans that are true blue, intelligent, experienced baseball lovers but they have also had ignorant fans that never played the sport and root for the Yankees because it is a brand name. Also, the Red Sox had so many moronic fair-weather retards begin to root for them after 2004 that I can't help but want to vomit when they sell out an opponents home stadium.

But, to get to the bottom of this situation, what is truely ruining baseball is the disparity between large market and small market teams. In the NFL the lowest payroll is within 40 million of the highest payroll... in MLB there is as much as a 180 million dollar difference. There is not a salary cap in baseball as there is in the other major sports and the big market teams have taken full advantage of this. Also, the revenue tax which was supposed to help even out the playing field between small and large market teams has not been taken advantage of by the small market teams. Many teams such as the Pirates, Marlins, Royals etc, are being paid over $30,000,000 a year from the big market teams and they still manage to find a way not to spend that money on their own payroll.

The big boys spend to win, the little guys just try to scrape by. Don't expect a KC vs. Pittsburgh world series in the next 15 years.

... i like the guy about ten posts above mine that has been a Sox fan since 2001!!!!!! oh wow, the horrible losing seasons he must have endured

Answer 4

I would totally disagree with you on everything you said. Real die-hard Boston and New York fans are among the most knowledgeable and dedicated fans in sports. You clearly have never been to a Yankees or Red Sox game on the road and seen what these fan machines can do. The Red Sox and Yankees play games that feel like home-games almost every series because their fans come out on the road and support them. A fan is a fan, regardless of their knowledge and the Red Sox having more fans than your team only serves to help us in the end. Go back to Milwaukee or Pittsburgh, or whatever pathetic baseball city you come from. You say a program like it is college and money should not be injected into it. Frankly, I am glad that my owner spends money to put the bets team on the field and I ams ure Yankees fans are happy about this too.

Answer 5

It all has to do with money. If the Tampa Bay Devil Rays had an owner like the Yankees, they'd be competing too. Fact is, although these are rich men, all owners just don't put the same amount of money into it. Look at the Astros. They have a top 5 payroll and aren't getting much out of it (granted $20 million of it is on the DL).

It's all about the salary cap, which baseball doesn't deal with. That's why obscure teams in other sports can compete even though their in Wisconsin or somewhere like that.

Answer 6

I must say I don't agree with you at all. I have been a die hard red sox fan since I first picked up a glove and bat at age 5. Sure I will admit that there are a lot of people who cheer for the red sox without really knowing much about the sport, just because its the popular thing to do. But that is how these people learn more about baseball as a whole. How can bringing in more fans and attention to the sport be considered destroying the sport? People born in the New England region are born red sox fans, people just seem to inherit it. It has nothing to do with"jumping on the bandwagon". We have been there through thick and thin for the team.

As far as the money issue goes, we can afford to spend a lot of money on our team, because the owners know that we will support them. We sell out every game, guaranteed. We are willing to pay some extra money to see our team win. We are proud fans, and always will be no matter what.

But I have to agree with you on one thing. New York is ruining baseball, they suck. Hahaha...j/k they are alright as long as they stay in second place where they belong.

Answer 7

I don't think they are ruining the game, but the bandwagoneers are ruining the rivalry between the fans. I used to be able and engage in long debates w/ Red Sox fans about who's team is better. The Red Sox fans would answer with batting stats of Jim Rice, Dewy, Boggs, Greenwell, or pitching numbers on the Oil Can, Bruce Hurst, and tell me how they hated Calvin Shiraldi, I would counter with stories of Mattingly, rigetti , winfield etc. You get the point.

Now adays 70% of the people involved in these debates will answer with "Red Sox rule cuz Yankees suck" or vice versa, my point being they probably couldn't give you the starting lineups in order if asked to, let alone tell you the history of the team. The closest they have been to Yankees Stadium or Fenway park is Sunday night baseball on ESPN, so they don't know that every seat in Fenway faces the green Monster, or that you have a 50% percent chance of having an obstructed view at a game at Fenway (damn pillars), or that the Bleacher Creatures in New York come up with some of the greatest chants in baseball.
They have NEVER actually witnessed this rivalry 1st hand, they don't know what it feels like to be 'in it'. They choose to replace knowledge of the teams, and their histories with garbage they heard on T.V. yesterday, and Hate. And to tell you quite honestly I feel very sorry for them all, they don' t know what they are actually missing.

redsoxfan relax, relax it all will be alright ;D

Answer 8

You act as if the Yankees have already clinched the AL East. Don't count anyone out, the season hasn't even started!! Teams can get hot and not everything repeats. Cocky Yankee fans are really starting to tick me off (only the gloating we-are-amazing ones though. no offense to the cool ones, lol!!). Don't be too overconfident. The Red Sox won't go down without a fight. Remember that teams can come with a surprise season. Did you forget 2008? The Rays killed all of the AL and the Yankees were left out of the postseason. Anything can happen!! By the way, I'm not afraid. Only idiots fear over baseball.

Answer 9

Excuse me Ryan!!!!I am not a freakin bandwagon fan, who are you exactly talking about anyways.People like you PISS me off.I have been a diehard Red Sox since 2001 when I went to my first game at Fenway!!!I cryed, screamed, cursed in 2003 in Game 7, but you know what I was a fan in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2045, I'm happy, elated, joyous when they win, when they lose yes I'm sad, but I would NEVER trade my passion for the Boston Red Sox if you paid me too.This organization and team are the greatest, you walk into Fenway and if you are a diehard fan like me it brings tears to your eyes.I love this team, the players, the coaches, this is one of the greatest things that I have experienced in my life, being a fan of the Boston Red Sox.So you can take your insulting comments and shove em.And by the way jerk I know more about baseball then you think, you judgmental.......

Answer 10

I don't think it is ruining the sport -- rivalry brings excitement (and money for the owners) I obviously am from NY and am a huge Yankee fan -- but don't tell me that I don't have a clue about the game!!!!

I love them for their history -- some of the greatest players in history were Yankees (Babe Ruth (yay he played for Boston to, and what happened when he was sold???), Mickey Mantel, Roger Maris, Joe DiMaggio shall I go on??

And if you like Boston or NY you can't say it's not a great story...