On January 3, 1973, George Steinbrenner took over the Yankees for $10.8 million and this heralded a new era in the fortune of this great baseball team. From 1973 to 2007, Steinbrenner was the boss in The Bronx. The Yankees did more than any other team during that time.
Under the CBS management, the Yankees were just a shadow of what they were decades ago and nowhere near their present glory. When the deal was announced, George Steinbrenner was not in the news much like the Yankees, who were often written off as a powerhouse. But with the takeover, everything began to transform. The Yankees returned to the winning ways in a few years and Steinbrenner became a baseball phenomenon while at the helm.
Over time, the Yankees owner became known for being willing to make big moves to improve the team and for wanting to win at all costs. The Yankees again became a powerhouse when they became a team that could challenge for the World Series every year.
From 1973 until he died in 2010, Steinbrenner was the main owner of the New York Yankees. During his time as the team’s owner, he was known for being a strict and hands-on boss who got into a lot of trouble. But he is also known for helping to turn the Yankees into a successful team after they had been pretty average for a while. Under Steinbrenner’s ownership, the Yankees went to the World Series 11 times and won seven titles. Steinbrenner was also known for being willing to spend a lot of money on top players and for taking risks to make the team better, like hiring famous managers and making blockbuster trades. He was a controversial figure, but no one can deny that he affected the Yankees.
George Steinbrenner once said, “I won’t be involved in the day-to-day running of the Yankees. I’ll stick to building ships.” What an audacious statement!
“King George” would become one of the most important baseball owners ever.
“The Boss” did things not only to make as much money as possible but also for the fans.
Some fans might say that he was the worst thing to happen to baseball and that he made the game worse, but George Steinbrenner was just a baseball fan who did what most fans want their owners to do, care about their team.
George had flaws but was committed to the Yankees
George Steinbrenner had flaws that got him kicked out of the league twice, but he was also the one who went out and got the best players on the market. His Yankees paid the most in luxury tax. People didn’t like him as an owner because, in a way, he played fantasy baseball every year. But George was one of the few owners who put the team first when it came to business.
He cared about the game he owned and the brand value it had. He could have made the away jerseys black, but he didn’t. Instead, he kept the gray ones. George Steinbrenner loved the Yankees like the rest of us, so he respected the pinstripes. Unlike most other owners, he didn’t sell the naming rights of Yankee Stadium. “The Boss” was committed to keep the Yankees as the Yankees and didn’t add anything to change its most visible symbols, such as traditional logos and hats.
In the 1960s, the Yankees were having a hard time, so George Steinbrenner bought them to help them get better. In 1977, the Yankees won their first championship since 1962, which was also his first of seven under him.
George Steinbrenner never let players put their names on the back of their jerseys when that was common everywhere. He always reminded the people who worked for him that they stand for the Yankees. When he signed Johnny Damon in 2006, George got him to strictly follow the appearance and facial hair code of the Yankees.
When players’ egos were getting bigger, George Steinbrenner bought them and was able to keep them in check. He used the media as his own bully pulpit to get his players fired up and ready to win.
More than a few people say that they have nothing good to say about George Steinbrenner. They say that he is an egotistical, cold-hearted jerk who ruined baseball by raising prices. He was a jerk who gave high contracts to all the players he could get so that no one else could get them.
But George Steinbrenner didn’t even care for those critics. In fact, he was proud to be the most hated person in baseball. He was the bad guy who liked being in the spotlight because it put the spotlight on the Yankees as well. One of his favorite sayings was:
“After breathing, winning is the most important thing in my life. First, take a breath, then win.”
People hated George Steinbrenner because of how he acted as an owner, but they never heard how he kept guys on the payroll so they would have money after they retired. He would give money to kids so they could go to college and make money in the future. George would give money to kids in Tampa every day so they could play baseball. He gave the Hall of Fame money so that they could fix up the building.
George Steinbrenner took over a team that was having trouble and needed a savior. He put money into the Yankees and helped them grow. When the team won a championship, Derek Jeter walked up to George, smiled, and poured champagne on him while saying, “Someone is too dry in here.”
George Steinbrenner did nothing but laugh. He owned a team that won seven championships while he was in charge. He was a fan who snuck into the clubhouse to be a part of the action. George Steinbrenner saved the Yankees and got them back to being the most feared team in baseball, they used to be. All of this was done so that we Yankees fans could watch the parade down the Canyons of Heroes one more time.
George Steinbrenner is probably one of the last owners in the MLB to care about a team’s history.
In baseball, there will never be another “King George.”
What do you think about George Steinbrenner? Leave your comment below.
