Posted on 11/04/2009 4:56:58 AM PST by Born Conservative
When the Yankees try to nail down their 27th World Series title tonight, they'll do it as one of the most polarizing teams in sports.
Few know that better that East Stroudsburg University professor Charles Warner, who was so perplexed with the concept of hating the Yankees — he readily admits to living most of his life as a Yankee hater — he decided to research the subject.
The result of more than a year of research and writing came out in October as the book "The Team America Loves to Hate: Why Baseball Fans Despise the New York Yankees."
Warner said he came up with the idea after years of hating the Yankees as a lifelong Cleveland Indians fan, a team that doesn't even play in the same division as the Yankees anymore, even though the two teams played against each other in the American League East until the mid-'90s.
He was on his way home from a Pittsburgh Pirates game against the San Francisco Giants, and thousands of Pirates fans turned out for the sole purpose of booing their former hero, Barry Bonds.
Warner said he thought the relationship was similar, fans who turn out to boo Bonds and fans who turn out to boo the Yankees.
"I sort of wondered whether it extends to fans of other major league teams, whether they all hated the Yankees or not," he said, and he found out rather quickly, "Yeah, they do."
Randomly, Warner decided he'd start out by going on some Internet message boards in the spring of 2008 and asking fans whether they hate the Yankees or not. Within a day, fans of every team had responded: Yes.
He saw an ad from Praeger Publishers looking for academics to write non-academic books, and pitched the idea with the message board hatred as his evidence.
The company bit, Warner took a leave of absence from the university and by the start of summer, he had finished the 187-page book filled with anecdotes, hard evidence and reasoning to get to the bottom of America's obsession with Yankee-hating.
"There's a chapter about the players, there's a chapter about the fans, the system, there's even a chapter about it being family tradition," he said. "There are all kinds of reasons. There is even evidence that it's a cultural resentment, that they just hate New York City and therefore hate the Yankees."
It's the first time Warner, 54, has written a book. The communication studies professor has been at East Stroudsburg since 1988 said he's helped with chapter contributions in the past, but decided this was the chance to explore his own idea.
And since the subject matter was something he considered close to his own heart, even those days when he had a blank screen staring back at him.
"What a feeling of relief it was, finishing the book," Warner said. "The amount of self-motivation it took to get that done was just tremendous. But when you're doing something you're interested in, it's that much easier."
Even if it's not easy living in what is at least partly Yankee country in the Poconos. Warner said he's ambivalent to the World Series, even though it pains him to say he probably cheers for the Yankees, who carry the American League banner.
Plus, it wouldn't exactly hurt book sales if the Yankees win, especially since the book would fly off shelves in the Delaware Valley.
"Yeah, that can't be bad news for the book," he said, laughing.
Their fans are the main reason.
OOO! Ya got me!
Come on. I was obviously referring to the United States. I know not nor care what the "New Zeland" [sic] wassyfrumpkiwiburgers record is. Don't be so obtuse and pedantic.
Either way the Yankees don't "suck" as you claimed so I'm still right.
Oh, and when ya'll can win more than one a decade, call me. Seems that the Sox are up on you of late. And now you're tied with my Angels.
Tsk, tsk, tsk, you know what they say about assumptions right?
I am not a Yankees fan. I am not even a Baseball fan. Frankly, I cannot understand how any grown, mature man of integrity can be, especially a father. I was simply pointing out that your rather glib response to an interesting question was factually incorrect.
Major League Baseball
Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs
Los Angeles Dodgers
New York Yankees
Men's Division 1 College Basketball
Duke University
University of Kentucky
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
National Basketball Association
Boston Celtics
Detroit Pistons
Los Angeles Lakers
San Antonio Spurs
Utah Jazz
Division 1 FBS College Football
University of Alabama
Boise State University
University of Florida
Florida State
University of Georgia
Louisiana State University
University of Michigan
Notre Dame University
Ohio State University
University of Oklahoma
University of Southern California
National Football League
Dallas Cowboys
New England Patriots
New York Giants
Oakland Raiders
Philadelphia Eagles
The Yanks have 26 World Series Victories.
Ooops...sorry...make that 27! :-)
They certainly do not "suck".
Too bad 20 of those are from over 45 years ago. Tell ya what—finance your ballclub like the rest of the league and tell me you’d be competing. Bankee$, indeed.
You made an erroneous statement, I corrected it. What’s so hard about accepting that?
Sigh...
Oh my...I see we have reading comprehension difficulties.
I already told you that your "assumption" was as wrong as your original statement of "they suck". I am not a Yankees fan. I am not even a baseball fan. They are not "my ballclub".
You made an erroneous statement, I corrected it. What’s so hard about accepting that?
Which, by the way, brings me to a larger point about all of this asinine sports obsession. They are not YOUR Angles either.
Oops.
Angels.
Lest you latch onto that unrelated tangent.
lol...Davis was actually very reluctant to take that job..he never really wanted to be senator either...he was happiest at home near Vicksburg on his plantation
but i like that....
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