Yankee Fan - Dissected

With another early exit from the Post Season this year by the New York Yankees, I figured this was as good a time as ever to break down Yankee Fan. Why you might ask? Because over the past couple of years I have had a shift in teams and in effect fans that I really don't like. Chowd Nation has eclipsed the Yankees for number one on that list. Don't get me wrong, I'm no friend of Yankee Fan in general, but some are legit. Because of this, I decided to break out and dissect Yankee Fan and break them down into two different categories one with a few subcategories. Heeeeeeeere we go.

1.) Real Yankee Fan - By far, real Yankee Fan is the minority. In this day and age, to find a true Yankee Fan is like trying to find a gallon of gas for under $2.00. Good Luck. However, these fans do indeed exist. Locating them is fairly easy as well. Unless they're young, these fans remember the lean '80's and early '90's years of the Yankees. Despite this, they remained fans never jumping to another teams bandwagon only to jump back when business in the B-X picked up. They usually have a story of how they became a Yankee Fan - They're dad or grandpa took them to the games when they were young or watched the games on TV or listened to them on the radio. The bonding between young and old. Maybe their family are lifelong Yankee followers. Maybe as they were getting into baseball they started liking the Yankees for their name, their colors, anything other than the fact they usually win. You can have a great baseball conversation with this type of Yankee Fan. They are knowledgeable about their team currently and in their history (before 1996 that is). These fans will break your balls about your team and such but they respect the fact you might be a Mets Fan, or a Cubs Fan etc. You can joke in return with these fans and its all in fun. They understand that they are not better than everyone else if they are a Yankee Fan.

Its this kind of Yankee Fan that has it tough. The rest of the Yankee Fans give real Yankee Fan a bad name Real Yankee Fan has to suffer all the Anti-Yankee backlash, because the backlash never seems to fall on the fake fans. Real Yankee Fan has to deal with Chowd Fan. As mentioned a few blogs back, Chowd Fan for the most part is an asshole. Chowd Fan is happier if the Yankees don't win the World Series than if the Red Sox do win it. A great example is this. I was talking to my good friend Ken the other day. He is a Real Yankee Fan. We can talk baseball and its always enjoyable. He mentioned how Chowd Fan is piling on saying that the Yanks should win it all because they have the number 1 payroll in MLB. Riiiiiiight. Last time I checked, the Red Sox had the number 2 payroll in MLB. By that logic Chowd Fans team should at least finish second…in their own division. Instead they finished 3rd, but don't let logic get in the way of dumbass Chowd Fan. Chowd Fan will also pile on about the Yankees choking and such. Whether they did or not (they did), what did Boston do? They coughed up a 4 1/2 game lead in like a week, then got done in their yard 5 straight times by the Yanks. They finished what, like 12 or more games back? That is a choke. That is typical Red Sox team too. Strong all year … right up until August hits…then its back in the tank. Anyway, it was things like this that made me sift through all the Yankee BS and separate the groups of fans. Real Yankee Fan should not be treated like other Yankee Fans.

2.) All Other Yankee Fans - I hate to say it, but if I did not break down Yankee Fandom…a stereotype would prevail. And that is this. That Yankee Fan is a fucking asshole. Its Yankee Fans like this that ruin it for the real fans. These fans are the reason for the unprecedented backlash the Yankees receive for being … well Yankees. Lets face it. Being a Yankee Fan is not exactly the toughest thing in the world to be (with the exception real Yankee Fan might have it a bit rougher than the rest). You're a fan of a team that wins all the time for the most part. They average a World Series Championship less than every 5 years. They have an owner that will spend whatever it takes to put together a winner. *Disclaimer* - One of the biggest knocks against the Yankees is the fact their payroll is outrageous. Hey, I agree, BUT nobody is forcing the Marlins owner, or the Royals owner, or the Devil Rays owner to act like they are running a team in Tel Aviv. Any real fan of a team would never say they would not want an owner like George willing to spend to put a winning product together. They may not want his meddling, but they would want his desire to win and put the best product on the field he can. The rest of the crap about George is up for debate.* Lets hit the subcategories now…

A.) Asshole Yankee Fan: Just what the title says, this is Yankee Fan who is a complete asshole. They are arrogant. They make excuses for the Yankees when they lose. They belittle fans of all other teams in a manner other than good natured ribbing. They act superior. These are the fans that act like THEY make the decisions for the Yankees. They act like THEY are playing short, or third, or left when "talking baseball". These are the fans you want to kick in the cocksucker more than anyone else in the world. Also, Real Yankee Fan can also be Asshole Yankee Fan (for those in Crapchester, see Dom in E.R.), but it’s a rare thing.

B.) Wannabe Yankee Fan: This group is usually regulated to the younger generations among us. The ones who don't know much about the team or even the sport yet they are Yankee "Fans" because they know the Yanks are good (usually) and they are popular. These are the people buying the red Yankees hat and the light blue one and the green one and the orange one and the yellow one etc. All adding a bit of "flair" to their supposed favorite team. This might also include female Yankee Fan who likes the team because Jeter is "hot".

C.) New Found Yankee Fan: I'll use an example here from work. This dude one day starts talking baseball to me. I always wear Mets gear so he knows I'm down. He tells me he went to his first baseball game over the weekend…at Yankee Stadium. Hey, I've been to the Stadium and I loved it. You walked in and just felt the baseball history there. Yankees or not, it’s a great place. At that point he decided he was now a Diehard Yankee Fan. Over the course of the next few weeks he started taking on the persona of Asshole Yankee Fan. Talking shit. Acting like he had been a fan forever. Acting like he knows all there is to know about the Yankees. Crapping on me and the Mets just because. When you crack back he gets all defensive and bitches even more.

D.) Fake Ass Yankee Fan: This is Yankee Fan who is only visible when the team is on a winning steak, has a large division lead, or is making waves in the hot stove report. They are also the Fan who you cannot find when the Yanks lose more than 3 games in a row. Nowhere to be found the day after the Yanks get tossed from the playoffs. Nowhere to be found when you might wanna talk a little junk to payback guy for all the crap he has given you.

Whew! While I could go on, these are the major categories of Yankee Fan. And to Yankee Fan…I know a comparison like this can be done for the Fans of every team, its just Yankee Fan tends to go to the extremes. I have yet to meet a Royals Fan, or a Pirates Fan, or a Padres Fan I seriously wanted to bring harm too. Actually I don't think I have ever met a fan from any of those teams but thats besides the point. To all my real Yankee Fans out there, your Yankee brethren all owe you an apology for the stereotype you must face. Keep your heads up and I look forward to talking baseball with you. To the "other" Yankee Fans. Keep your head up too, so we can all land a haymaker right on that collective chin of yours.

Out.