Another $200 million for nothing. Well, $195,229,045 to be exact, but you get the idea. This was the amount the New York Yankees spent on player salaries in 2007, only to fail in their quest to live up to the Steinbrenner Doctrine—win the World Series or else.
The recent 3-1 series loss in the American League Division Series to the Cleveland Indians stretches the Yankees’ championship drought to seven years. At some point during that time, I became what I thought I’d never become: a frustrated Yankee fan.
People say that liking the Yankees is akin to cheering for Microsoft, and if that’s true, then the past seven years have been one giant iPod commercial with dashed playoff hopes taking the place of annoying music.
During the glory days of the late ’90s, all I heard from jealous Yankee haters was the tired and factually incorrect cliché that “money buys championships.” However, the Yankees have seen trying times since their unraveling in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. They have been unable to fill the gaps left by clutch performers like Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, and Scott Brosius, despite a run of unprecedented spending that seemed to all but guarantee a championship at some point.
But they have failed to win one, making the Yankees the latest and most conclusive proof that money does not buy championships, it merely stands in for wise personnel decisions, and gives the illusion of impending success that rarely ever materializes.
For seven years, the Yankees have been playing their own style of moneyball—essentially throwing in as much cash as they can at the wall and hoping it sticks.
It’s no shocker that the Yankees’ core players during the glory days were mostly home-grown talent, and the act of bringing in increasingly bigger names for increasingly higher salaries (Mike Mussina, Gary Sheffield, Randy Johnson, Alex Rodriguez) has done nothing but raise the team’s expectations to unreasonable levels. Winning a championship should be an ideal, not a necessity.
But it’s not just the Yankees who are guilty of thoughtless spending. Examples can be found in European soccer, where London’s Chelsea Football Club have in recent years transformed themselves from an average, mid-table finisher to one of the biggest clubs in Europe, setting transfer records in the process. Yet they have failed to win the UEFA Champions League, the trophy designated as the ultimate goal by team owner and Russian oil magnate Roman Abramovich.
For further proof, look to Real Madrid and their collection of “Galacticos,” a team of international all-stars who failed to even win the domestic league title before they were broken up.
This problem even exists at a local level. In the years before the NHL leveled the playing field with a salary cap, it was our beloved Maple Leafs who spent carelessly. The Leafs’ payroll was up there with other big-market teams like the Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche, yet among these teams, it was only the Leafs who came away with nothing to show for it. Despite a payroll that placed the Leafs consistently among the top spenders in the league, we’ve remain cup-less since 1967. But I’m sure no Torontonian needs a reminder of that.
For the Leafs, trade deadline quick-fixes became the norm. The team would acquire a bunch of aging veterans (Owen Nolan, Brian Leetch, Phil Housley, Doug Gilmour, the list goes on) at mid-season and be promptly eliminated from the playoffs by a younger team that had been put together more cohesively.
In each of these cases, teams have favoured a high-priced free agent over a role player who would better fit the team’s needs. The problem only gets worse with time, as said free agent’s value decreases considerably each year, leading to a Jason Giambi-type situation where a player is owed tens of millions despite a complete inability to perform at a professional level.
Regardless of the cause—be it a 40-year championship drought (the Leafs), a meddling and unreasonable Boss (the Yankees) or just plain stupidity (see Baltimore Orioles or New York Rangers for more on this)—an unlimited budget inevitably leads to poor decision making as a way to appease the fans, the owner, or both.
Is the Yankee dynasty really over? I’d rather wait until they miss the playoffs to make that call. But through the mismanagement of the nearly $1.3 billion the team has spent on player salaries over the last seven years, proves that reckless spending is definitely not the cure for the championship blues.
