“Gentlemen, we have the only legal monopoly in the country and we’re (bleeping) it up.” – Ted Turner, owner of the Atlanta Braves, to his fellow MLB team owners.
In March of 1984, MLB owners hired Peter Ueberroth to be MLB’s commissioner, and in less than two years, he had the majority of owners agreeing with Ted Turner’s sentiment. One of Ueberroth’s mantras was “fiscal responsibility,” which practically speaking meant that owners should maximize profits first, worry about pennants and World Series later.
This was bad news for the Yankees and their fans on two fronts.