The New York Yankees are one of the richest franchises in American sports.
They are also the most profitable organization in baseball, one that generates so much revenue that they can afford players such as Giancarlo Stanton, Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge (all on $300+ million contracts).
Apparently, they don’t have enough money to pay for in-flight Internet services.
“Brett Gardner jokingly told Gerrit Cole that it’s his fault the Yankees make their players pay for in-flight wifi,” Talkin’ Yanks tweeted.
Brett Gardner jokingly told Gerrit Cole that it's his fault the Yankees make their players pay for in-flight wifi 🤣
(via @stephapstein) pic.twitter.com/BgHR02fxb5
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) March 15, 2023
It all stems from a Sports Illustrated article by Stephanie Apstein, explaining the situation.
Yep, that’s right: the fourth-most valuable franchise in sports charges players for internet access on the team plane, per the article.
This line tells everything you need to know: “A person familiar with the prices of such things said an in-flight Wi-Fi plan for one team for one year costs approximately $40,000—or about the price of four Cole pitches.”
In the end, it’s all a matter of priorities: the Yankees had to get a pitcher like Cole to help them reach their objectives.
While it’s certainly not the end of the world, it’s noteworthy that a team like the Yankees doesn’t cover these types of costs.
Lots of players give their opinion of the matter in the article, including general manager Brian Cashman.
The executive says that “most of the players can afford it”.
“We’re gonna have to get on that,” manager Aaron Boone said while explaining, half jokingly, that this could potentially affect the pursuit of free agents in the future, since most teams cover Internet expenses on flights.
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