Transformation of the Yankees Locker Room Culture

Anyone who has played on a sports team in their life knows how important team chemistry is. It is essential to have everyone in the locker room mesh well with each other and work towards a common goal. It can make the difference between missing the playoffs to winning a championship. No one knows this better than the New York Yankees. They saw a drastic change in their team chemistry from the 2008 season to the 2009 season and, in my opinion, it was one of the big reasons why they were able to win the world series in 2009.

The Yankees came into the 2008 with high hopes and everyone from the players to the media to the fans believed this would be the year the Yankees would clinch their 27th World Series title. However, things did not quite unfold this way as they started the season very poorly. No one could quite figure out why this team with the highest payroll in baseball was not winning games. In hindsight, the cause of these struggles is very clear. The team lacked chemistry. Their locker room was made up of over-payed and aging players who were primarily concerned about themselves and their stats. In addition to this they played very tight, instead of playing lose and enjoying the game. This was a big reason why the Yankees failed to make the postseason for the first time in 14 years.

In the off-season the Yankees added some key pieces that helped their team come together. The additions of CC Sabbathia, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, and AJ Burnett completely changed the culture of the Yankees locker room. CC and Tex brought a devotion to winning that only a handful of Yankees had at the time, while the additions of Swisher and AJ gave the team a personality it had previously been lacking. Swisher especially, was able to change the culture of the locker room. He plays the game very lose and has a lot of fun doing it. The qualities of these new acquisitions rubbed off on the rest of the team and they started to win and win a lot. It was evident, while watching, how different these two teams were from each other. The 2009 Yankees won a lot of games, while playing lose and having fun doing it. They eventually went on to win the franchises' 27th Championship. These two different teams show just how important team chemistry is and how it can translate to winning.