It’s the baseball postseason and New York is heated. Both the Yankees and the Mets made it to the playoffs and New Yorkers eagerly anticipated another Subway Series. It wasn’t in the cards.
In a shocking and embarrassing 3-1 division series loss to Detroit, the Yankees shattered New Yorkers hopes for a city rivalry in the World Series.
The premature loss threw the Yankee powerhouse into turmoil, as the Daily News all but certified that Yankees manager Joe Torre would be fired by ruthless team owner George Steinbrenner. The fate of costly and ineffective Alex Rodriguez, in question before the playoffs, was now all but sealed.
The day before the Mets first league championship game should have been a day of glory for the team. Yet the New York papers were unimpressed. The city wanted to know if New York legend Joe Torre would be allowed to fulfill his contract with the team – and the media eagerly obliged the discourse.
The front page of the New York Times sports section ran a full page story on the Yankees Tuesday, as did the Daily News and New York Post. Yankee commentary penetrated all sports media.
Now that Steinbrenner has announced that Torre will remain with the Yankees, column space is open to talk about a New York team that actually has a chance to do something this October. But will the media use it – or will they just fill space with discussion on how the Yankees can make it to next October?
There’s room for everyone in New York right… even the Mets?
Being a Yankees fan, the biased covered doesn’t bother me. I was perfectly entertained watching the media stake out Steinbrenner’s hotel and follow A-Rod all around town. But as a baseball fan and media critic, I feel for the Mets and their loyal enthusiasts, as coverage of the team’s success is overshadowed by controversy surrounding the Yankee empire.
I understand what an icon Joe Torre is to the city of New York and the relevance of any decision regarding his future. But I also understand the accomplishment that the Mets have achieved and feel it deserves recognition. Though I don’t want to hear about it - I’m a Yankees fan, remember.
Cynthia Allen @ October 12, 2006 - 7:16am
Sports is a section of the paper that doesn't seem to warrant media bias discussion, but you bring up a good point. Local papers cover local news, including local sports teams. Of course there is a bias for the local team. When there are two local teams, who gets the most coverage? I definitely don't follow NY sports teams or baseball, but it seems like the Yankees are the favored team here.
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