George Steinbrenner’s impact on the Bronx is not just the incredible drive that pushed his Yankees to win, or the shadow his new stadium leaves over the borough. It is also his quiet kindness which changed the lives of many Bronxites that will endure.
Steinbrenner died of a massive heart attack in Tamp Bay, Florida today. The news shocked the entire city not just for the fact that “The Boss” was dead but because stories of his generosity were finally leaking out (See Goldin).
“He was an incredible and charitable man. First and foremost he was devoted to his entire family – his beloved wife, Joan; his sisters, Susan Norpell and Judy Kamm, his children, Hank, Jennifer, Jessica and Hal; and all of his grandchildren,” said a family released statement. “He was a visionary and a giant in the world of sports. He took a great but struggling franchise and turned it into a champion again.”
“Today I join 1.4 million Bronxites, and Yankee fans across the world, in mourning the passing of a great man, ‘The Boss,’ George Steinbrenner,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. “During his tenure as owner of the New York Yankees, Mr. Steinbrenner did everything in his power to create his own winning tradition in the Bronx, an effort that resulted in seven World Series championships, While other baseball fans were jealous of this success, Yankee fans, like myself, loved him for it. Both the Bronx and New York City have lost a giant today—in baseball and in charity—and my deepest condolences go out to the Steinbrenners and the entire New York Yankees family.”
“What most people don’t realize is that he had a heart of gold,” said Bronx Historian Professor Lloyd Ultan.
Steinbrenner created the Yankee Foundation which funds youth groups, sports groups and cultural institutions. The money raised from the tours of Yankee Stadium fund the foundation.
“Most people are unaware of his philanthropy,” Ultan said. “You could come to him with a story and he would open up his wallet.”
Steinbrenner’s reign in the Bronx began on January 2, 1973 when he led a group of investors to buy the struggling Yankees from CBS for $8.7 million. He would turn that gamble into seven World Series titles, 11 pennants, a sports cable network (YES) and a state of the art stadium.
His drive to win made headlines and tempers flare. From the soap opera that was the hiring, firing, hiring, firing of Billy Martin to the trading of fan favorites in the quest to create the ultimate Yankee team, New Yorkers were often angered but respected Steinbrenner’s will to bring home the World Series trophy.
"George Steinbrenner was a larger-than-life figure in this city for over 30 years and his passing is a huge loss for the Yankees, for baseball, and for the Bronx,” said City Councilman James Vacca. “Steinbrenner was someone you were never going to agree with all the time, but you could always be sure he would speak his mind and that he did what he did because he wanted to be the best. In that way, he was like a lot of Bronxites. Maybe that's why, in the end, he stuck with the Bronx by keeping his beloved Yankees on River Avenue, where they belong. For that, I know the million-plus Yankees fans in this borough will be forever grateful.”
“This is a very sad day for me and Carmen and all of baseball. My sympathies go out to the Steinbrenner family,” said Yankee icon Yogi Berra. “George was The Boss, make no mistake. He built the Yankees into champions and that’s something nobody can ever deny. He was a very generous, caring, passionate man. George and I had our differences, but who didn’t? We became great friends over the last decade and I will miss him very much.”
As the borough entered its infamous “Bronx is burning” chapter, Steinbrenner saw the low stadium attendance as a signal to move the team. However, after running into opposition from Yankee fans to move the team to New Jersey or midtown Manhattan, he stayed put. When the team began its miracle run in the 1990s and attendance topped 4 million, Steinbrenner realized that it was not the Bronx that kept fans away. It was a losing team.
Now armed with six World Series trophies, Steinbrenner unveiled his plan to build the state of the art home for his champions across the street. The plan ran into opposition from community groups because the stadium was built atop Macombs Dam Park. However, the community received more parkland in the deal and construction of the new Heritage Field began last week on the site of the old stadium.
“With his determination and rock hard personality he spent the money and brought the team back to its former glory,” Ultan said. “He returned excellence to the Bronx.”
“Our hearts and prayers go out to the entire Steinbrenner family. This is a sad day not only for Yankee fans, but for our entire City, as few people have had a bigger impact on New York over the past four decades than George Steinbrenner,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “George had a deep love for New York, and his steely determination to succeed – combined with his deep respect and appreciation for talent and hard work – made him a quintessential New Yorker. George invested his heart and soul into the Yankees, and his competitive fire helped usher in new eras of Yankee greatness, reclaiming the team’s long tradition of excellence and its position as the most successful franchise in the history of American sports. He was a champion who made New York a better place, and who always gave back to the city he loved. He has left an indelible legacy on the Yankees, on baseball, and on our city, and he leaves us in the only way that would be appropriate: as a reigning world champion. We will be lowering the flags in City Hall Plaza today in honor of his achievements. George was a larger than life New York figure whose passion and drive to succeed will forever be missed.”
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