New York Yankees Promise To End Homophobic Taunting In The Stands

Responding to pressure from GLAAD, the New York Yankees have vowed to end homophobic taunting by their fans. The issue came to light on Tuesday thanks to a video (created by JMG reader Sean Chapin) which showed fans shouting an obscene version of Village People's YMCA at fans for opposing teams. Via GLAAD:

We reached out to the Yankees, and were extremely pleased with their reaction. Yankees spokesperson Alice McGillion told us “the Yankees have zero tolerance for this and any kind of abuse.” She said that security in the bleacher sections of the stadium will warn fans, before YMCA is played, that any type of homophobic abuse “will not be tolerated” and she assured us that any fans who take part in this ugly bullying will be ejected from the game. We’d like to thank McGillion and the Yankees organization for their prompt and proactive response.

The taunting has been a tradition at Yankee Stadium at least since 2006, when the original clip was first posted on YouTube, where it has received 200,000 views to date. Once again, here's Sean Chapin's version.

Homophobia At Yankee Stadium

If you are a fan of the opposing team at Yankee Stadium, this is how Yankee fans will treat you. Infantile.

UPDATE: Sean Chapin reports that YouTube has disabled the clip and issued him a "first strike" warning for violating terms of services. No explanation has yet been given. Stand by for this clip to be replaced at another video hosting service.

UPDATE II: YouTube has sent Sean this message.UPDATE III: The video is back up.

George Steinbrenner Dead At 80

Mercurial New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner died of a heart attack this morning in Florida at the age of 80. Since Steinbrenner bought the team in 1973, the Yankees have won eleven pennants and seven World Series. He retired from day to day operations in 2006, handing over the business to his two sons. Steinbrenner is widely credited as having turned the Yankees into the world's most valuable sports brand, with the team and its assets now being worth an estimated $1.6B. His infamous eccentricities were regularly parodied on Seinfeld.