NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 01: A New York Yankees logo is shown in the on-deck circle before the start of the game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on September 1, 2017 in New York City. The Red Sox won 4-1. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
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As one of the most popular and lucrative franchises in professional sports, the New York Yankees typically try to remain apolitical, at least formally.
But U.S. President Donald Trump has underscored his deep ties to the franchise through former owner George Steinbrenner, who was a friend of Trump’s. Since becoming president, Trump has been outspoken about his affection for Steinbrenner and the team and he visited the team’s clubhouse after a game to commemorate 9/11 last year.
More recently, he even leveraged a White House visit from a championship soccer team to discuss the franchise.
“Musing on sports while welcoming Lionel Messi and MLS champion Inter Miami to the White House… Trump mentioned that when ‘baseball was hot as a pistol,’ he used to sit with late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and watch games,” Jesse Yomtov wrote for USA Today. “Trump joked that watching three-hour games with Steinbrenner was the hardest thing he ever had to do. ‘(Steinbrenner) liked me, I liked him and we both liked nobody else,’ Trump said.”
New York Yankees Broadcaster Calls For New York Giants’ Quarterback To ‘Suffer’ After Endorsing President Donald Trump
But even though the president is an outspoken fan of the franchise, not all of those prominent figures around the Yankees have embraced him back.
Discussing a recent live rally introduction for Trump courtesy of New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, Yankees announcer Michael Kay suggested that endorsing the president is far from a universally popular decision.
“You could do stuff behind the scenes if you like a candidate. You could donate money… But instead, he tried to be front-facing about it,” Kay said of Dart’s introduction during a recent episode of his ESPN New York radio show. “So then you have to suffer the consequence because what you’re doing is that you’re endorsing and appearing at a rally for one of the most polarizing political figures in the entire 250-year history of the United States.”
New York Yankees Voice Michael Kay Defends Critics Of President Donald Trump Fan
Kay is best known for his role as the Yankees’ play-by-play broadcaster on the YES Network, which is partially owned by the team’s holding company, which was founded by Steinbrenner.
Discussing the rally, Kay zeroed in on Dart’s teammate, Abdul Carter, who publicly criticized the quarterback’s endorsement.
“He could support whoever he wants and let the chips fall where they may,” Kay added. “And I, unlike others, don’t have a problem with what Abdul Carter said because it was public what Jaxson Dart did and then Abdul Carter made it public as well.”
By pointing out the double standard, though, the Yankees broadcast voice seemed to suggest that Dart will inevitably receive some criticism for his support of the president, who himself is an outspoken supporter of the Yankees.