Yankees owner discusses payroll and says it’s ‘not fair’ to assume team makes a profit

In the minds of many New York Yankees fans, the New York Yankees print money. Their success is measured by rings, their failures by every dollar that didn’t turn into one.

Owner and managing partner Hal Steinbrenner’s message on Monday wasn’t exactly subtle. He pushed back against the idea that the Yankees live in permanent profit, calling the assumption unfair and inaccurate. He didn’t break out spreadsheets or point-by-point breakdowns, but he didn’t have to. He had made his point.

The number he chose to highlight did the job: a hundred million dollars paid to the City of New York every February 1, even during the shutdowns and revenue collapses of the Covid season.

Whether he was asking for sympathy or nudging the public conversation toward a reality the Yankees have always lived wit