Are the New York Yankees hurting for money? Earlier this month, the organization got hammered on social media for what some consider one of the biggest ripoffs in MLB history.
Now, they’re being criticized again. This time for a retirement gift they offered John Sterling, the legendary radio voice of the New York Yankees.
Sterling, who has been broadcasting for 64 years, 35 of them for the Yankees, recently announced his retirement. As such, the club honored him before their game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
RELATED: Yankees Broadcast Legend John Sterling Retires – Here Are Some Of His Greatest Calls
John Sterling Retirement Gift
John Sterling’s retirement ceremony was overshadowed by one of the gifts offered by the New York Yankees for their broadcast legend.
An 83-inch LG TV.
Nothing like receiving an 83-inch TV from the whole Yankees team for your retirement pic.twitter.com/JlfhVqFqrh
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 20, 2024
Now, look. The thing ain’t cheap. We looked it up on the marketplace and it retails in the thousands.
Fine. But carrying out a big screen TV that they essentially could have ripped off one of the walls in the stadium as a last-minute effort wasn’t a good look.
And fans quickly called out the Yankees.
“The players union already started a gofundme for the batteries which weren’t included,” Chef Andrew Gruel jokes.
Another fan writes, “This is the equivalent of a dude getting a pizza party for his retirement after working at a company for 30 years.”
“They 100 percent forgot a gift and found this in a backroom somewhere in the stadium,” quips sports analyst Greg Braggs Jr.
RELATED: New York Yankees Trolled For What Might Be The Biggest Rip-Off In MLB History
Yankees Pinching Pennies?
As Bounding Into Sports reported recently, the Yankees were mercilessly shredded for hawking $15 advertisement patches that can be added to fan jerseys earlier this month.
Reporter Vincent Frank describes the effort as “next-level disgraceful.”
As such, we’re not sure what to call John Sterling’s retirement TV.
Well, at least Sterling desperately needed a new TV to be able to watch some Yankee baseball during his well-deserved retirement. So there’s that.
Just kidding. Athletic reporter Chris Kirschner said that Sterling indicated to him that he already has five TVs in his apartment.
While we don’t have the budget to get Mr. Sterling a new TV for his retirement, we have honored him by covering some of the greatest calls of his career.
Including his signature sign-off following a Yankee victory.
“Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theeeeeeeeeeee Yankees win!”
Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theeeeeeeeeeee Yankees win! pic.twitter.com/x7r09qPvQq
— John Sterling Calls (@JSterlingCalls) July 22, 2023
That’s the kind of broadcast energy that gets you a TV for over three decades with an organization.
Be sure to check out some of his other greatest calls here.
