New York Yankees Fans are Part of the Problem

The New York Yankees have not won a World Series since 2009, and they have only participated in one Fall Classic since then.

The last two years, they have been bounced from the Division Series by two AL East foes they once called doormats.

Things have gotten tough in the Bronx, and fans are tired of it.

Except the fans don't even realize they are part of the problem.

How? Well, for multiple reasons.

First of all, Yankees fans have a tendency to overrate certain players. Trent Grisham, Jazz Chisholm and Austin Wells are perfect examples of that.

Grisham and Chisholm are now headed toward free agency, and at this point, the fanbase cannot wait for them to bolt. But did we or did we not hear Yankees fans raving about Grisham and Chisholm the last couple of years?

Grisham had a breakout campaign in 2025. New York retained him on a qualifying offer. Sure, there were some fans who were upset, but many others felt it was a no-brainer. And even when Grisham was struggling early on, fans lauded him whenever he had a mini hot streak.

The same goes for Chisholm, who was a fan favorite in 2024 and 2025 and didn't actually start drawing the ire of the Yankee faithful until the back half of 2026, when it was becoming increasingly obvious he wasn't going to break out of his "slump."

The less said about Wells, the better. Yankees fans are still convinced that he is the team's long-term catcher, and they are fine with it. It's mind-boggling.

So what do you expect from the front office when the fanbase expresses such confidence in players who aren't very good? Yes, I understand frustration has boiled over, and Grisham and Chisholm are now pariahs. But where was this before the playoffs?

And how in the world can you still remain so confident in Wells?

Then, there's the lack of accountability regarding Aaron Judge.

I'm not sure if I've seen a player in Yankee history — perhaps even New York sports history — who has been as protected as Judge.

This is a man who failed in almost every postseason until finally performing well last year, and even then, he hit just one home run. A man who dropped a fly ball in the deciding game of the 2024 World Series.

Can you imagine if that were Giancarlo Stanton, who may very well be the most disrespected Yankee we've ever witnessed?

Yet, with Judge, it's largely been forgotten. Yankees fans will still place Judge on their Yankee Mt. Rushmore, this even though he doesn't even have a World Series ring.

He's not Derek Jeter. He's not Mickey Mantle. He's not Babe Ruth. He isn't Bernie Williams, either. He is a fantastic regular-season player with an almost non-existent playoff resume.

And that somehow gets him on to a Mt. Rushmore of Yankee greats?

Perhaps if Judge were feeling more pressure from the fanbase, he wouldn't maintain such a laissez-faire attitude when it comes to the franchise's recent failures.

If this were the Mets, sure; put him on the mountain. But this is the 27-time World Series champion Yankees we're talking about here, where nothing less than championships are accepted.

Yankees fans can blame the front office all they want, but they play a role in everything that has happened over the last decade.

I will admit that I am starting to see a turning point now. The loss to the Tampa Bay Rays may been the last straw.

But this vitriol should have come several years earlier.