"Getting Love by Giving Love" by Thomas Nardacci

"Getting Love by Giving Love" by Thomas Nardacci

A few weeks ago New York Yankee Third Baseman Alex Rodriquez discussed his future with the Yankees by telling WFAN’s “Mike and the Mad Dog” that he would need to see love from the Yankee organization and from the fans as part of his decision to stay with the Bombers.

A-Rod is certainly one of the greatest players in the game, is assured a place in the Hall of Fame when he becomes Cooperstown eligible, and is one of the most talented players to don Pinstripes in a long time.

The New York media market is a tough place to play and gain respect, but the sports coverage is as fair as it comes and the players that get respect have earned it. A recent trip to Yankee Spring Training in Tampa allowed me a chance to get a microcosmic glimpse of the situation with Alex Rodriquez.

Most of the fans in Tampa this year seem to agree on the A-Rod situation. One astute snowbird from the Bronx said “A-Rod is a great player but he is not a great Yankee,” easily rattling off names of his Yankee greats. Playing in New York is much different than Seattle or Texas. The fans are brutally honest and very demanding. But, New York fans give the MOST love of any fans (Boston fans are probably on par) to the players that give them love. Playing for a New York team, especially a winning team, also offers athletes a chance at becoming a legend (such as these famous numbers -- #3, #4, #5, #7, #16, #23, #49, etc.)

I watched as A-Rod ignored little kids yelling his name. Jeter, Matsui and Rivera waved, Damon and Giambi (who’s love from the fans has rebounded tremendously since being embroiled in steroid controversy) stopped and signed autographs for the kids. Yankee greats Mattingly, Nettles, and Guidry all acknowledged the fans with waves and ‘hellos.’ A-Rod didn’t, and it did not go unnoticed.

What’s a wave to a little kid yelling your name at Spring Training? It goes to the heart of public relations. Not only do the fans who happen to be there notice, but they probably relate the story to other people (or blog about it), and the beat reporters covering you game after game and year after year notice too. It raises questions and helps to frame their stories.

Watching A-Rod stretch and run alone, while teammates warmed up together, gave me the suspicion that this story about him has been brewing for some time. A security guard at Legends Field summed it up best when I asked him what he thought of A-Rod. He said, “A-Rod wants love from the fans, but he doesn’t love the fans.”