What the New York Yankees Can Learn from Burnley

They come from two very different worlds (baseball and football [soccer in the American vernacultar]), but they comingle in my being, for I am a fan of both teams. I have been a life-long Yankees fan (nearly 45 years), and I have been rooting for Burnley for the last 12 years, first following them when they toured the United States in 2009.  One team, the Yankees, has a payroll of over $200 million; the other, Burnley, features a payroll that just tops $35 million. 

But it is Burnley that has shown more heart and grit this season. Featuring no super-star players they depend on the strength of community, teamwork and a solid defensive organization. For the last several years, they refuted the critics who predicted that they would be relegated from the Premier League to the Championship (they finished in 10th place last season) and they frequently "punch above their weight" as the saying goes. They embody the true working-class spirit of their region in Lancashire, United Kingdom.

The Yankees, on the other hand, have been lethargic, languid and almost feckless in their play and results. Losing is one thing (more on that in a minute), but to show no effort or dedication or passion during a run of miserable play is disappointing. The Yankees have won five and lost 10, recently being swept by their division rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays. I watched their games on Friday and Saturday, but did not watch the Sunday game. Why? Because I had watched Burnley play a superb game against the powerful Manchester United at the venerable Old Trafford stadium.  They really put it to Manchester United and in the words of many commentators, "made them look ordinary."  Given the huge differences in payroll, this is quite a feat. They pressed the Manchester United defense and improved their pace in possession, something they usually do not do and forward Chris Wood was a constant threat. One Manchester United fan commented that "Wood was a handful". Another Red Devil fan from Norway agreed, saying, "Yeah, and such a great attitude. Arm in the back-no diving, no whining. 'All in' duels, hard but fair. Great positioning. Fun to watch and gave our guys a challenging match." 

In the end, Mason Greenwood and Edinson Cavani did Burnley in, scoring in the final ten minutes of the game to seal the victory and douse the Clarets with bitter disappointment. I was dismayed by the result, but proud of Burnley; they gave 110% throughout the whole game and were sunk by the brilliance of the young and mega-talented Greenwood. As I mentioned earlier, there is no dishonor in defeat as long as you have played well. Burnley played with the abandon of a team that refused to be daunted by an opponent with a much larger payroll and a more luminous pedigree.

I do not see this passion or effort from the New York Yankees and after the Burnley-Manchester United game I decided to forego the Yankees-Rays game; I was not ready to come down from the high of passionate and gritty play to the desultory form and output we have seen from the Yankees so far this season. It is hard to believe but I now find the Yankees boring to watch. There is no spark, no pulse it seems to get excited about. The season is still early, of course, but right now I am not compelled to watch a team that does not evince passion or excitement. 

What can the solution be? Who knows. But contrasting the managers, Sean Dyche for Burnley and Aaron Boone for the Yankees, we can see a glimmer of why the teams have different attitudes. Dyche is fiery and extremely organized at the back and has the respect of his players. Boone is low key and although considered a "player's coach" we have yet to see him bring out the passion that Dyche does with his Burnley players. 

The recent revelation that six Premier League teams and others in Europe want to break away and form their own Super League, where the best of the best play each other weekly and no other teams, especially those with small budgets can participate, is symptomatic of the crisis facing football. What I love about the Premier League is that small teams like Burnley can play against the top-flight teams like Manchester United (they beat Manchester United 2-0 at Old Trafford last season). I would hate to see this change.