Generally speaking, people care about the New York Yankees. The Bronx Bombers have long been the MLB team that everyone either loves or hates. And according to a new study, that has not changed.
A study from Harry Enten of FiveThirtyEight showed that, despite a period of relative irrelevance (for their standards, anyway) since winning the World Series in 2009, more people identify as Yankees fans than any other team. Ten percent of the fans questioned identified themselves as fans of the Bronx Bombers, more than the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves, who all checked in at eight percent.
But, as Enten noted, news is not all good for the boys in pinstripes.
“The difference between the top teams is so small that the Yankees would tie for third place (with the Braves), trailing the Cubs and Red Sox, if you exclude fans from the state of New York.”
Something else that’s clear is that while the Yankees are still No. 1 in the hearts of many, they’re dead last in the hearts of many others.
In total, 44 percent of fans have a positive outlook on the Yankees, while 48 percent have a negative view. The -4 net rating is not only the lowest in the league, but also the only negative at all (the Philadelphia Phillies are second at +4).
Moreover, the 48 percent of fans with a negative view is far and away the most in baseball. The next-closest team is the New York Mets, who check in at 35 percent.
The Yankees haven’t won a World Series or even an American League pennant since 2009. They haven’t reached the ALCS since 2012 or even won an ALCS game since 2010. A shutout loss in the 2015 American League Wild Card Game marked New York’s only playoff appearance since 2012.
But none of that has led to a neutral opinion on the Bombers. If you’re a baseball fan, chances are you care about the Yankees, one way or another.