Why Countries Hate America (And Probably The Yankees too)

Daniel Tosh once said that the reason countries hate America is because of reality TV. Specifically the show Survivor, where someone gets paid $1,000,000 to survive in places where people actually live. I can't say I disagree.

However, there is but another reason for countries to hate America -- perhaps specifically the New York Yankees. As enumerated, almost in passing, in the last paragraph of David Golebiewski's most recent article on Fangraphs, this past off season, the New York "Yankees spent more than the gross domestic product of Tonga."

No seriously.

Between the total allocated resources spent on the free agent signings of Andy Pettite ($5.5 M) and Sergio Mitre ($1.25) (oh, and Mark Teixeira ($180 M), C.C. Sabathia ($161 M) and A.J. Burnett ($82.5 M) too, I suppose), the New York Yankees of New York spent approximately $430 million. As Buster Olney points out, the Yankees allocated $441 million on player acquisitions this offseason, when the rest of the AL, combined, spent $176.28 million.

Tonga, by contrast, whose chief export is not home runs, has a GDP of $258 million.

It's a good thing that baseball is recession proof, right Cubsfan4ever? Actually, there's a good piece about how the Yankees are good for the economy that you can read here.

God Bless America.