Just one follow-up on my Aaron Judge post, because I see that Brent has unfairly disparaged Yankees fans.
Brent writes that “after the way he was treated this past season by fans,” Judge couldn’t be blamed for leaving. He also writes that “Judge was treated to an embarrassing display of entitlement from the home crowd in the postseason. As he (and the rest of the Bronx offense) struggled to get the bats going against the Guardians and then the Astros, the New York fans began to boo their top player.”
This characterization of Yankees fans is based on a myth and lacks context. First off, the “booing” was highly exaggerated by the media and Yankees haters everywhere. There were some scattered boos in Yankee Stadium (you can watch the video here), but those fans were not particularly representative. If Yankees fans wanted to boo somebody en masse, you’d be able to tell the difference. Also, to be clear, Judge wasn’t just “struggling” — he batted .138 this postseason with 15 strikeouts. The at-bat during which some fans booed him represented his fourth strikeout in a game, and seventh in two games. While — like an overwhelming majority of Yankees fans — I wouldn’t have booed Judge, it’s hardly a “display of entitlement” for fans to expect more from their star player on the verge of signing a massive new contract. It also neglects that the flip side of the boos is the passion that Yankees fans feel when their team performs well — that Judge felt as they supported him all year. In deciding to stay with the team, he clearly recognized that there is no better place to win than for the Yankees.
Derek Jeter, who experienced boos from Yankees fans at points during his career, put it well: “Yankee fans expect excellence. They’re never satisfied, which is a good thing. Yankee fans boo because they want to cheer.”