Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Clueless Sox

“Why are you a Yankees fan?”

This question is probably the most annoying thing that I encounter on a daily basis in Massachusetts. It is far more annoying than being surrounded by liberal loons at all times.

I am a Yankee fan despite the fact that I was born in Boston and I have lived in Massachusetts my entire life.

So why is it that I like the Yankees? I think the primary reason is I just can’t see myself ever being associated with the minority group that calls itself Red Sox nation.

Why is this? For me it started early on in life. My dad, who supports all Boston teams, raised me to be a Red Sox fan. He bought me the gear. He took me to games. I remember the moment when I put an end to wearing a “B” on my hat though. It was in elementary school on the playground when kids were trying to tell me the Yankees “suck.”

I thought to myself, the Yankees “suck?” Didn’t they just win the World Series again this year?

It didn’t make any sense. It still doesn’t. How do the Yankees “suck?” Derek Jeter plays for the Yankees. They have won 27 World Series titles. That’s more championships than any professional sports franchise on the planet. They have won the American League 40 times.

The Yankees are a well run, classy organization with a tradition of winning. The franchise embodies nearly everything except “sucking.”

I refuse to associate myself with people this moronic – ending  my tenure as a Red Sox fan. I have been a die hard Yankees fan ever since and haven‘t regretted it for a second. Just look at modern day Red Sox fans.

Red Sox nation consists of the most arrogant, jealous, moronic, fickle and wrongly directed passionate fans in all of sports. Yet, they feel as though they are by far the best fans in all of sports.

I just don’t get it.

Sox fans chanting “Yankees suck” when they are losing to them in a blowout? Sometimes I wonder if these self-proclaimed “educated fans” can even read the scoreboard.

It isn’t just about the “Yankees suck” thing though. I’d be giving Sox fans way too much credit if that was the only thing I called them out for.

Red Sox fans have this perception that they are the most loyal fans in the world yet history and modern times show that‘s entirely not true. They turn on their players faster than the weather changes around here. When Ted Williams – regarded as the best Red Sox hitter of all-time – hit a home run in his last career at-bat at Fenway, he wouldn’t even acknowledge the fans because he despised them so much. A handful of years ago, fans considered David Ortiz to be the biggest sports hero in Boston’s history and now he is booed after striking out during meaningless at-bats in April.

How can the fans consider themselves loyal when their best players end their careers so fed up with the fans they don’t want to respond to them or in the case of Ortiz, they are simply booed out of town?

The Red Sox are barely a baseball franchise at this point. Their team is simply in existence to make money for their owners. That, and to let frat kids bring their girlfriends to Fenway in pink hats and tee shirts so they can sing “Sweet Caroline” in the seventh inning.

Yeah, Red Sox nation is really dedicated. This is the most embarrassing fan base I have ever seen.

The team’s owners market the Red Sox better than any other team in the majors. I will give them that. They are also the most manipulative ownership group in the majors.

According to Forbes, the Red Sox earned the second highest profit in the major leagues last year. That is profit, not revenue. Yet, the ownership consistently let prized free agents go simply stating money as the reason. They earned $40 million in profit last year but they can’t re-sign Jason Bay? They let Alex Rodriguez get away over a couple million?

If the ownership cared about their fans as much as they claim to, they wouldn’t be exploiting their fans by profiting from them as much as they do. They have the highest ticket prices in baseball and there is no reason for it. It is not so the ownership can break even or compete with the Yankees. Like I said, they profited more than all but one franchise last year.

Why do I think the ownership is manipulative? Because I have seen what they are capable of doing to their fans. The ownership says “jump” and the fans say “how high?” When I was growing up, all I would hear about was how much better Nomar Garciaparra was than Derek Jeter. It was non-stop.

Yet, in 2003, this new ownership convinced fans that their best and most loved player for the past decade wasn’t a team player because he wasn’t on the top step of the dugout during a regular season game.

He had to go.

They got Boston fans to turn on Garciaparra and they didn’t even have a replacement for him. The shortstop position has been a revolving door since the Red Sox traded him.

Although that‘s the most obvious example of how easily they can control the mindset of the fan base, examples occur yearly. They are constantly told the Yankees buy championships when, up until last year, the two highest payrolls to ever win a World Series were both the Red Sox.

This year they have convinced Red Sox nation to not worry about letting Bay go because they are investing in undervalued players and pitching and defense.

Let me know how that goes.

Why am I a Yankees fan? It is because I know first-hand what Red Sox fans are and what they represent. I am just way too smart to be a Red Sox fan.

Alex Perry is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].

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  • J

    Joe PrizioApr 28, 2010 at 9:18 pm

    I have been a diehard Red Sox fan since I was a kid. I have stuck with them through every season since 1987. I have seen the best and worst of my fellow Red Sox fans. The “Red Sox fan” has stuck with this team through Tom Brunansky batting cleanup, Bob Zupcic patroling the green monster, and numerous other disappointments over the years. The “Red Sox Nation” member is the type of Sox fan that I am embarrased with. I love your article, and I completely agree with your main point: RED SOX NATION SUCKS! An example: During the Aaron Boone playoffs of 2003, a “Pink Hat”, that lived in my dorm, would wear a Trot Nixon shirt to the nightly Yankees suck gatherings to watch the games becasue “He was her favorite player”. However, she couldn’t even answer the question when we asked her who the starting Red Sox right fielder was. This “pink hat” along with the other idiots who chant that the Yankees suck can all have a great time singing Sweet Caroline during the seventh inning, and showing off their Red Sox Nation membership cards, because I will not associate myself with them. I will continue to hate (but respect) the yankees, and watch and discuss baseball with Red Sox fans, not Red Sox Nation.

    Reply
  • F

    Frank DiMariaApr 28, 2010 at 6:35 pm

    I also hate the majority of the pink hat wearing Red Sox fan who boo the likes of David Ortiz and Curt Schilling with no regard for their contributions in the past. If you are a true fan you would realize that David Ortiz gets a permanent pass in Boston based on his track record of being the most clutch player in baseball for 3-4 year period while leading us to 2 world series through his staggering offense and off-field leadership. True fans would also realize that Schilling pitched with a legitimate injury and most likely gave up 2+ years of his career, and did everything but sell his soul for the world series in ‘07. As far as the “Yankee’s Suck” chant you hear on the booze cruise buses on the way to Pufton, I absolutely agree with you. The chant itself was appropriate when we were knee deep in an 86 year drought to win a world series, and it signified our complete and utter frustration with the success of our fiercest rival. However, once ownership changed and Theo Epstein took office, things started to change. They revamped their pathetic farm system and actually integrated them into their long term plans, and focused on a sabermetric system of finding value where no one else did. The only problem is that dumb fans who do not know how to act like a winner continue this foolish chant that should be reserved for the Pirates or Orioles.

    However, I can take pride in the fact that I will stand by the team that represents where I am from, regardless of the ignorant fans involved. I am not sure what you really want from people. Would you like every person to simply be a front-runner and choose allegiances based on the recent success of a team like the author of this article evidently did? Also, if you are going to sit here and legitimately claim that these pious Yankee fans who, oh by the way, also root for the Giants, Jets, and Knicks-among others, are great fans, you should not only check your facts but also get your head examined. People from this area are used to winning. Over the course of the past 10 years we have seen 6 championships in 3 different professional sports. Obviously there are going to be some people who jump on the bandwagon because it is the cool thing to do, but I dare you to name a city where that does not happen. Look at the Yankees for example. They have basically marketed their logo to be a fashion symbol more synonymous with New York than anything to do with baseball. Sports simply allow people to be galvanized by where they are from, and if you don’t want to be a part of it no one really cares. You are entitled to your own opinion and allowed to root for whatever team that you want, but to target a fan base that demands success from its teams is ill-advised. The real argument here is real sports fans vs. pink hat sports fans and this problem exists in every city in America. To single out the Red Sox as the only culprit of this issue is not only unfair, but outright foolish.

    Reply
  • R

    RobApr 28, 2010 at 6:01 pm

    He’s right,

    I love the red sox more than “The Nation” could ever comprehend, and i refuse to chant ‘yankees suck’ and i will never, ever date a girl who is the foolish owner of a pink hat.
    the problem isnt even the woman, its the guys who jump on board come october like theyre some sort of expert because they have a red sox tattoo and went to 5 games this year.
    I will never associate myself with the nation, because as a real red sox fan, im embarrassed by you all.

    shame on you

    Reply
  • N

    not a pink hatApr 27, 2010 at 3:20 pm

    You make some good points about Red Sox fans and thier managment,however you should get facts straight the Red Sox traded Nomar in 2004 not 2003.If you recall that was the year that they came back from a 3-0 defecit to beat your beloved Yankees.How could a Yankee fan forget that.Secondly when the Red Sox won their 2 World Sieries titles they did have the second highest payroll in baseball,geuss who had the highest by 100 million? The Yankees thats who.I’ve been to games at “The Stadium” and I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone swear,they only throw battries at the opposing the opposing players.Why do you think outfielders have wear batting helmets in the field.You’re right Yankees fans are real winners just like you NOT

    Reply
  • C

    C.L.Apr 27, 2010 at 1:42 pm

    I dare you to get through just one of your pieces without taking a crack at liberals, Perry. I dare you.

    Reply
  • B

    Ben RudnickApr 27, 2010 at 10:30 am

    If you think Red Sox fans are goons for spouting “Yankees Suck,” you should hear what Yankees fans say about the Red Sox! I watched the 86 World Series in a room full of New Yorkers, and let me tell you, the Yankees fans were far worse than even the Mets fans. People who did not care whether the Mets won showed up to passionately root for the Red Sox to lose.

    You may not want to believe it, but take my word for it, the Yankees fans can be just as moronic as any member of Red Sox Nation.

    I’m not going to defend Sox management for their decisions on players, but one thing you forgot to mention, at least in regard to fan loyalty, is the little tidbit about Papi having taken steroids. Perhaps that might have something to do with Sox Nation’s discontent with his performance since being off the juice.

    Ben Rudnick
    ex-Collegian Columnist

    Reply
  • B

    Brad DeFlumeriApr 27, 2010 at 12:47 am

    Mr. Perry has produced another opinion column par excellence. His salary should immediately be raised. I, too, have suffered the unfortunate humiliation of being repeatedly confronted by this barbaric breed known as “Red Sox nation.” I, too, remain a devoted Yankees fan despite having grown up a mere 10 minutes from Fenway Park. Mr. Perry’s column should run daily.

    Brad DeFlumeri
    former Collegian columnist and Elitist Yankees Fan

    Reply