New York Yankees’ Fans Should Be Ashamed of Their Team Being This Cheap
The New York Yankees, as a franchise, are regarded among the elites in professional sports. The "NY" emblem has become arguably the most recognizable brand in all of sports, and it's rare to make it through a day without seeing at least one Yankees' hat on a stranger's head.
All of those well-deserved accolades make this story out of The Bronx even more surprising. Are the New York Yankees actually pinching pennies like this?
Report Claims New York Yankees Make Players Pay for Wi-Fi on Plane
A story in Sports Illustrated shared a fascinating report about the New York Yankees, and specifically, an amenity that the team does not provide their players during road trips. SI's Stephanie Apstein shared that, of all things, the Yanks do not provide their players with free Wi-Fi internet connection while aboard the team plane.
Instead, they make the players pay for it themselves. For those who were curious, it costs every Yankee $9.00 to surf the web during each flight.
Before you jump all over me, yes, I am aware that this is technically a Delta Airlines policy, and not necessarily a direct order from the New York Yankees' ownership. Delta has their system in place, and as a partner, the Yankees are choosing to abide by this system.
THAT BEING SAID, the New York Yankees are not crying poor right now, nor have they ever been. It would be extremely easy for Hal Steinbrenner and Co. to shell out money necessary to pay for the team's Wi-Fi for an entire season.
Instead, Yankees' players are stuck in a situation similar to the "soda machine" debacle portrayed in Moneyball. Remember this?
Now, surely the Yankees can't be the only team who makes their players pay for Internet? You'd be correct, as according to CBNC, one other team in Major League Baseball also forces their players shell out cash for Internet on their team plane: the Cincinnati Reds.
Of all the teams you'd want to be associated with for something like this, the Reds likely aren't high on the list.
When Gerrit Cole found out about this policy, then-Yankee Brett Gardner told him this:
“It’s your fault. Your contract is too big, so they can’t pay for the Wi-Fi.” - Sports Illustrated
Meanwhile, Yankees' GM Brian Cashman didn't have a ton of sympathy for his players, either:
"I think most of our players can afford it." - Sports Illustrated
Sure, guys like Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole can afford it without thinking twice. That said, if you're in a situation like that of Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza or Anthony Volpe, you're not making nearly as much money now, and aren't sure how much money you're going to make in the future, either.
Nine dollars can go a long way for those players, further proving my point that a policy like this, for a team with a financial backing that size, is absolutely brutal and ridiculous.