George Steinbrenner Dies at 80
Yankees Owner, George Steinbrenner has died at the age of 80.
I spokesman for the family has released the following statement from his family: “It is with profound sadness that the family of George M. Steinbrenner III announces his passing. He was an incredible and charitable man. First and foremost he was devoted to his entire family – his beloved wife, Joan; his sisters, Susan Norpell and Judy Kamm, his children, Hank, Jennifer, Jessica and Hal; and all of his grandchildren. He was a visionary and a giant in the world of sports. He took a great but struggling franchise and turned it into a champion again.”
Under Steinbrenner the Yankees won seven World Series Championships. They won in 1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009. Steinbrenner has owned the Yankees since 1973.
George Steinbrenner once said that, “Owning the Yankess is like owning the Mona Lisa.”
George died after suffering a massive heart attack. He was taken to St. Joseph’s hosptial in Tampa, Florida where he died.
In all of Major League Baseball, George was the longest serving owner. In that time his team had won 11 AL pennants.
Over recent years Steinbrenner’s health had failed to the point where he was rarely seen in public. His son is the current managing partner of the team.
The Yankees were purchased by Steinbrenner for the low sum of $8.7m. He turned the Yankees into the most valuable team in the United States. The current estimated value of the team is over one billion dollars.
Steinbrenner was also known to be a firery, hands on owner. He was suspended from the game on multiple occasions. Once for making illegal contributions to Richard nixon and again after paying someone to get information on one the players on his team.
