New York, New York, the iconic Frank Sinatra song, has been synonymous with the city since the song first premiered in New York, New York, the 1977 Martin Scorsese musical. New York Yankees, the city's baseball team, turned it into its anthem, playing the song after every game at the Yankees Stadium since 1980. However, starting in 2025, a big change will happen: the song will no longer play after the team faces a defeat.
Spectators in a 4-0 defeat last weekend to Detroit Tigers, a training exhibition, heard "That's Life", also from Sinatra, when they exited the stadiums. Later, the Yankees confirmed that this was no anomaly: "we will be rotating through a number of different songs after a Yankees loss this year, none of them will be 'New York New York", they said.
That way, New York, New York, will be synonymous for victories, while "there will not be a specific Yankees loss song". Originally, Yankees played Sinatra's version after a home victory, and the original Liza Minnelli's version from the movie after defeats, but this was changed after Minnelli complained.
It is a break from tradition: New York, New York used to play after every match, but now it will only sound after home victories. Brian Cashman, general manager of the team, said to New York Times that the franchise is hoping to "remain different" while also honouring tradition. Another new policy for 2025, considered outdated, is the ban for players on facial heard, a policy installed by owner George Steinbrenner in 1976, hoping to instil a sense of discipline among players.