Yankees' franchise valuation does nothing but make failures more embarrassing

Sports franchises go through droughts. Tough times are inevitable. But for the most valuable franchise in all of baseball? A global brand that's among the top five in the entire world in terms of valuation? The New York Yankees, under those circumstances, can't have one championship since the 2001 season.

It could be worse, though. You could be a Cowboys fan -- the world's most valuable team -- and without a Super Bowl since 1994.

But the NFL has a salary cap, so the Cowboys face some obstacles. Baseball does not. Funds can be spent in an unlimited fashion, as long as you're ready to pay the luxury tax. A team like the Yankees should never be dipping under any of the tax thresholds for money-saving purposes.

They do, though. As do many other teams with the financial means to absorb such payments, allowing them to go above and beyond.

So when news dropped last week that the Yankees were now worth $7.1 billion, which is an 18% (!!!) increase year over year and a $2.3 billion gap between the next closest team (the Los Angeles Dodgers), all it did was set this team up for further embarrassment.

The Yankees are valued at $7.1 billion, per Forbes

Win a World Series as the most valuable organization in the sport? You're buying the championship. Fail to win a World Series since 2009 as the most valuable organization in the sport? You're a laughingstock. Fail to win a World Series since 2009 as your team watches its financial value grow exponentially, while the payroll largely remains stagnant? You're pathetic.

Forget about championships, though. The Yankees have spent the better part of the last decade or so passing on some of the top free agents in the sport that could've been had for money alone ... which is their most advantageous asset. Couldn't tell you why!

Even worse is that they rarely opt to make right on their financial blunders. Aaron Hicks' seven-year contract stands out as something that should've been addressed over the last year. Same goes for the Aroldis Chapman/Zack Britton deals, the Josh Donaldson trade, the Luis Severino extension, and the Giancarlo Stanton trade (they inherited a large portion of his $325 million contract for him to be a full-time DH; meanwhile, the greatest DH of all time, David Ortiz, earned $159 million throughout his career).

Unless the Yankees start using their financial might à la Steve Cohen, then they'll forever be in the crosshairs of all the haters looking for a reason to make a mockery of them at every turn. And this is the lowest hanging fruit possible.

The Yankees at least took the heat off themselves by giving Aaron Judge $360 million and Carlos Rodón $162 million, but if they don't win a championship in this current window with the countless All-Stars on this roster, all the franchise valuation will do is make each and every future failure that much more embarrassing.