There was a time when a Yankees’ championship felt routine. Today’s fans, they feel like it’s mythical, something inherited through stories, low-quality camera footage, and highlight reels rather than lived experience.

If you grew up during the Yankees dynasty, championships felt like a natural part of the calendar. October meant deep playoff runs, and more often than not, it ended with the Yankees standing on top. Winning wasn’t something you hoped for; it was something you assumed. 

I was born in the year 2006 and was raised a Yankee fan by a family of lifelong Yankee fans. Sure, I was alive during the last World Series title in 2009, but I was too young to remember and experience it. I often ask my dad what it was like to be a fan during the dynasty. Hearing his stories is the only way I can try to imagine what it would be like.

For fans like me who came of age in the 2010s, all we know is disappointment. This generation grew up on drought instead of dominance. Every 2010s team that I’ve experienced has brought me great memories during the season, but has ended in heartbreak after heartbreak. This generation didn’t inherit certainty; we inherited patience.

Unbreakable Loyalty

One thing about Yankee fans is that we are stubbornly loyal. Despite the drought, Yankee Stadium still fills. The merchandise still sells. The debates still rage on talk radio and social media. We young fans stay invested through seasons that end with the same familiar sentence: “We’ll be back next year.” When winning is rare, fandom becomes intentional. You choose it every year. 

The Yankees have the bar on a different level than other franchises. Some celebrate playoff appearances, while the Yankees have that “championship or failure” mentality. The pressure doesn’t only weigh on the players, but the fans, too. 

Frustration of Younger Fans

Younger fans live in constant contradiction. We have to deal with fans of rival teams mocking the championship drought, while also saying that we’re spoiled by the past in the same breath. It’s a no-win situation. We’re criticized for not winning enough, yet told we’ve already won too much to complain. For fans who didn’t experience the dynasty firsthand, that criticism feels especially hollow. We’re judged by championships we never got to celebrate, expected to carry the weight of a past we didn’t live, while being ridiculed for the present we are forced to endure. But I think this tension has shaped a tougher, more defensive generation of Yankees fans. One that supports the team, not because winning is guaranteed, but because loyalty has become an act of resilience rather than entitlement.

When the Yankees finally win their 28th championship, it won’t feel routine or assumed. It will feel earned. It will mean something more to fans who spent their formative years watching other teams celebrate. That repeated cycle of hope and heartbreak reshapes how victory is valued. When success is rare, it becomes precious. 

Why the Next Title will Mean More

Speaking on behalf of all younger fans: a present-day title would also feel deeply personal because it would be the first one truly ours. Not something inherited through stories or highlights, but something experienced in real time. It would erase the idea that this generation only knows the Yankees as a brand of history. It will prove that sticking with the team despite frustration and exhibiting loyalty through all these years was worth it in the end.

Something that would make it extra special is winning it with Aaron Judge. Seeing Judge hold up that trophy will mean the world to every Yankee fan out there, especially me. He’s the player who made me fall in love with the game during his rookie year, and I’m sure many others share that with me as well. Judge has put his all into every single game that he has played while wearing the pinstripes. From breaking records to exhibiting his humble leadership, he deserves at least one ring. He is the perfect Yankee, and there is nothing I want more than to see him bring a championship home to New York.

This next championship would also feel different because it would reconnect past and present. For younger fans, the Yankees’ greatness has mostly existed as stories passed down rather than emotions lived through. But there’s a gap between hearing about that feeling and actually understanding it. A championship now would close that gap. Closing this gap will open up so many beautiful memories made between younger fans and their older relatives that may have once told them all the stories about experiencing all the past championships. 

When the Yankees finally win again, it won’t only add another banner to the rafters. It will mark the moment this generation steps out from the shadow of the past and into a memory all its own. That’s why this title will mean more. Not because of how many came before it, but because of how long so many waited for it.