New York Yankees Giancarlo Stanton
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The 5-5 New York Yankees aren’t exceeding expectations right now. Neither is slugger Giancarlo Stanton. Yet the boo birds are out in full force already and they’re making fans look bad.

For some reason, after 27 World Series Championships, New York Yankees fans are still not satisfied. While many fans of the Bronx Bombers are waiting out the storm that Giancarlo Stanton is going through, there are still plenty that prefer the booing method.

Stanton has already heard his fair share of boos from fans over six games in his new home ballpark. Needless to say, the chorus of boos is deafening, especially after two five-strikeout performances from the slugger.

But why the boos? I’ve heard it’s a motivator of sorts, to encourage Stanton to get his head out of his rear and do what is expected of him: hit home runs.

But what sort of motivator is booing at the top of your lungs and screaming profanities at a player on your favorite team? No, five strikeouts in a single game isn’t what was expected upon first pitch but, guess what? Booing doesn’t change that.

Booing is just a way of expressing displeasure with a player and, yeah, fans were certainly displeased with Stanton’s performance. Funny thing is that the person that is likely more displeased is Stanton himself.

Does he want to come to a new ballpark that will be his for at least two more years only to be greeted with outward expressions of frustration over his struggles? Nope.

Stanton is well aware that his 0-for-5 performances are unacceptable. He’s a professional athlete; he doesn’t want to be going 0-for-5. His struggles are only exacerbated by the constant booing he hears after every failure.

The booing culture is phenomenal, to say the least. Fans boo to express their frustration over a player’s struggles because these players are athletes and should be used to this type of criticism.

Yes, Stanton is in New York and his job is to hit home runs. But every single player struggles at some point in their season. We saw it with Aaron Judge, last year’s American League Rookie of the Year. We’ve seen it before with Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and even Mariano Rivera on the mound. Slumps happen, regardless of how great a player is.

Excuses are going around that it’s because Stanton was the reigning NL MVP. He’s been around the majors for a few seasons. He should have it all figured out by now.

He is expected to hit home runs all the time. He is expected to live up to his contract right away. But it has been 10 games. The season has just begun and yet, some fans feel that 10 games should be enough time for him to launch 20 home runs and have a .500 batting average.

Guys, it’s not always that simple. On the surface, a freak athlete like Stanton has shown that he is capable of some pretty amazing things. He just hasn’t done it yet this season.

If you must boo, boo late in the season when Stanton has five home runs and a .125 batting average. If fans boo now, they are already writing off an athlete that has shown he has the potential to be really special.

It’s upsetting to see Stanton, the reigning NL MVP, showcase not-so-MVP-like skills so far this season. But it’s the beginning of the season and there’s no point in hating on a guy that will likely slug more homers than fans can imagine.

If you’re booing now, that’s your choice. However, when Stanton comes out of this slump soon and turns into an absolute monster at the plate, don’t come around cheering for him. You made your choice and that’s something you have to live with.

The rest of you? Continue on supporting Stanton in both his good and bad times. That’s what being a true fan is all about.


Allison is just a girl with an enormous passion for the game of baseball and the written word. Based in Upstate New York, her life-long relationship with the New York Yankees is something that she developed through close relationships with her mother and grandfather. An aspiring sports writer, she graduated with a journalism degree and is finding places to share her excitement about the sporting world and how it affects us all.