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by Susan Banki, PhD '04 I admit it. I am a diehard Yankee fan. I have been abused and reviled in the Hall of Flags for showing my New York colors, and nearly shouted out of PJ Ryan’s for cheering on Roger Clemens. I watched the past two World Series with glee -- to the exclusion of Jacque-- and even wore a Yankee baseball cap to the Fletcher Orientation Red Sox game. And yet, I’ll admit something else. Yankee victories were becoming a little too predictable, and the Subway Series last year bordered on the dull. Even I was a little ready to let the Yankees lose. But not yet, and not this year. Given the tragedy that befell NYC on September 11, victory in 2001 would have given New Yorkers a well-needed reason to celebrate. Bittersweet though the victory may have been, the loss was just heartbreaking. Watching the games with Fletcher classmates, however, I was struck by the vehemence of their hatred for the Yanks. It seemed as though everyone was pulling for the Diamondbacks, even if their mother-in-laws were the only family they had in Arizona. Why? Because the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and everyone despises the Yankees. It occurred to me then: the Yankees are a micrcosm for the United States. For years, the Yankees have been the most powerful baseball team in the country, and because of that, they experience the irrational hatred of apple-pie-loving American families across the country. Likewise, many claim that the American show of power brought on the fury of the September 11 attacks. “The Yanks are arrogant,” my roommates growl at me, “and they deserved to lose because of it.” Arrogance is an accusation also levied at the United States, but it hardly justifies the violence of September 11. Finally, the Yanks are branded as a corporate team only interested in money, and only successful because they take advantage of it. The United States has been the recepient of similar accusations, despite the fact that other countries are as steeped in capitalism as we are. Before my analogy sours, I want to congratulate the Diamondbacks on a truly inspiring victory, and I admit that this was a World Series well worth remembering. I just want to note that even though the Yankees can’t be accused of egregious foreign policy, they seem to receive even more scorn than the United States. Susan Banki is a native New
Yorker. She is a moderately sore loser. Comments? Write us at letter@fletcherledger.com |
