Yankees commit one last embarrassing act to put exclamation point on letdown 2024

The New York Yankees blew Game 1 of the World Series in a way that legitimately drives a sports fan to the brink of insanity. Somehow, they one-upped themselves in Game 5 to officially end their season.

They blew a five-run lead in a World Series elimination game, which is the first time that's happened in history. Only six other times has a baseball team blown a five-run lead in a World Series game. The Yankees have figured out a new way to plummet further into the depths of infamy, even when you look at their "success" as an annual playoff hopeful and title contender.

This is life in New York. Are Yankees fans "entitled" for calling this season a letdown? Absolutely. So many other fanbases couldn't be further away from reaching a World Series, let alone winning one.

But so many other franchises aren't afforded the advantages the Yankees have. They're the richest organization in the sport. An international brand. A premier destination. They possess a history so extensive that players want to come here to try and make their mark to emphasize their legacy. Well, at least some do. Others don't want to be bothered by it.

If you're reading this in the context of "you're a Yankees fan, you couldn't have it better," then just close this article right now. Go read a Red Sox blog.

Because, again, there are expectations. There's a standard. But the Yankees don't follow that anymore. With each passing season, they feel like a corporate entity that exists to entertain tourists and rake in as much profit as possible. Look no further than Yankee Stadium selling Shohei Ohtani jerseys during the 2024 World Series. Look no further than ... Yankee Stadium blaring "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra after the Yankees were eliminated from the World Series by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Does anybody care about anything anymore? Is this really where we are going as a society?

Yankees lose World Series to Dodgers and embarrass themselves further

Fans have been complaining about this for years, and that's not an exaggeration. So many people have questioned why the Yankees play what is supposed to be their victorious tune after losing efforts. At some point, it just became fans yelling into the void. It was never going to change, it would seem, but the overarching message was out there for everybody to see. The Yankees had to have seen it. And like they do with everything else they hear or see from fans or the media, they ignored it. Because they know better. They always know better. One World Series win since 2001 proves that, doesn't it?

They took their arrogance a step further on Wednesday night, too. They blared Sinatra over the stadium speakers, insulting a bygone era of integrity and accountability. There's none of that anymore. All the players are "friends." Stars and big names go unpunished for their careless transgressions, or at least that's how the Yankees have proven to operate. Baseball, like all sports, are nothing more than a business, which has removed the very fabric of the game that should foster competition rather than image or profit.

All this can be viewed as is disrespect to the die-hard fans. They have been lamenting about a lazy organizational practice that's even viewed unfavorably across all other fanbases when it comes up in conversation. It speaks to a larger issue in regard to stature than anything else, and the perfect metaphor to sum up where the Yankees have been the last 15 years and where they'll go if they fail to look in the mirror and find the will to change.