USA / FILE: Yankee fans react to the death of long-time Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who suffered a heart attack at age 80

Record ID: 573442

  • Title: USA / FILE: Yankee fans react to the death of long-time Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who suffered a heart attack at age 80
  • Date: 14th July 2010
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) YANKEES OWNER GEORGE STEINBRENNER AT GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR THE NEW YANKEE STADIUM IN 2008 STEINBRENNER SPEAKING AT GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY STEINBRENNER WITH FORMER NEW YORK GOVERNOR GEORGE PATAKI (LEFT) AND NEW YORK CITY MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG AND OTHERS DIGGING AT GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY
  • Embargoed: 29th July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA4STIEP9NN8I5AVXQT2XGGBJ8J
  • Story Text: George Steinbrenner, the New York Yankees owner who was one of the most colorful and controversial figures in the history of U.S. sports, died in Florida on Tuesday (July 13) at age 80.
    Known as "The Boss" for his tempestuous style, Steinbrenner was loved by Yankees fans and hated by his rivals. He resurrected the most successful franchise in U.S. sports from a period of decline, returning it to glory in the 1970s.
    His family and baseball club announced his death but did not give a cause. Media reports said he suffered a massive heart attack at his home in Tampa and was rushed to hospital.
    In front of a Yankees paraphernalia store in Times Square, fans reacted with a combination of sadness and shock to the loss of "The Boss".
    "Oh my goodness, this is a terrible day for New York," said supporter Jason Kennedy.
    "George has been great, he's always brought the winning chemistry to New York, and we just got to keep it going. George, we miss you, we love you George."
    A surprised Lucy Santana was shocked by the news.
    "I got his pictures, all the newspaper clippings, everything of them. Oh my god. I don't know, right now I'm confused," said Santana.
    Steinbrenner, who turned 80 on the U.S. Independence Day holiday on July 4, was a well-known figure in popular culture, routinely pictured on the back pages of New York's tabloids wearing his familiar white turtleneck under a blue blazer and was regularly skewered on the television sitcom "Seinfeld."
    Yankee fan Jim Parker said all of baseball would be affected by his loss.
    "He's part of New York culture. You think about Seinfeld and everything else, everything was George Steinbrenner. So he's a huge loss. It's a huge loss to baseball," said Parker.
    His early days with the Yankees were chronicled in several books, including "The Bronx Zoo" written by player Sparky Lyle and "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx is Burning" by Jonathan Mahler, which was dramatized in a 2007 TV miniseries with Steinbrenner's character played by Oliver Platt.
    "I am tough. Sometimes I'm unreasonable," Steinbrenner said. "I have to catch myself every once in a while."
    The son of a wealthy Ohio shipping magnate, Steinbrenner followed in his father's footsteps as a hurdler at school and continued his interest in sports by earning a masters' degree in physical education and working as an assistant college football coach.
    Steinbrenner demanded results and got them as the Yankees won seven World Series titles and 11 American League pennants since he bought the fabled club in 1973.
    He was twice suspended from baseball -- once for making illegal campaign contributions to President Richard Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign and then for hiring a private investigator to dig up information on one of his players.
    "Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing," he once said.
    Steinbrenner handed over daily operations of the club to his sons in recent years. His Yankees empire, which he bought for $10 million U.S. dollars, is now worth $1.6 billion U.S. dollars, nearly twice as much as any other team in baseball, Forbes magazine estimated.
    The family said the funeral would be private but there would be an additional public service.
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