Difference between revisions of "George Steinbrenner"

Revision as of 02:45, 15 October 2019

• 1986: Donald Trump attended a Yankees game with Lee Iacocca as a personal guest of George Steinbrenner. “If Lou Piniella does nothing else in his Yankee managerial career, he at least came through for the boss today. With Lee Iacocca and Donald Trump at Fort Lauderdale Stadium as guests of George Steinbrenner, Piniella directed the Yankees to a 4-1 opening-exhibition victory over the Baltimore Orioles.” (New York Times, March 9, 1986) Lee Iacocca / George Steinbrenner
• 1987: Donald Trump was a guest at the wedding of George Steinbrenner's daughter, Jessica. “Jessica Steinbrenner, daughter of the New York Yankees' unlovable owner George Steinbrenner, was married Saturday in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York to Joseph Molloy, a basketball coach at St. Lawrence Academy high school in Tampa, Fla. The bride works for American Shipbuilding, her father's company in Tampa. There were no Yankees at the wedding, unless one counts baritone Robert Merrill, who sings ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at the games and who sang ‘Ave Maria’ at the wedding. Some big-money friends of Steinbrenner did attend, including Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca, developer Donald Trump and Broadway producer Jimmy Nederlander.” (Washington Post, November 9, 1987)
• 1983: Donald Trump appeared on a panel of business figures in the sports industry hosted by the New York Post. “Four of the nation's top sports entrepreneurs had breakfast together Thursday and gave their opinions at a newspaper-sponsored forum on a wide variety of subjects ranging from legalized gambling to the moral obligations of teams to their cities. George Steinbrenner, principal owner of the New York Yankees; Fred Wilpon, president of the New York Mets; David A. ‘Sonny’ Werblin, president of Madison Square Garden, Inc.; and Donald Trump, owner of the New Jersey Generals, answered questions for an hour posed to them by a panel of newsmen from the New York Post. Most of the questioning involved subject matter pertaining to sports within the New York City metropolitan area. The breakfast was attended by nearly 800 business and civic leaders, including Mayor Edward Koch.” (United Press International, December 15, 1983)
  • Trump claimed that none of the major sponsors of sports franchises were in the industry to make money, a claim which was immediately contradicted by Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who was also a panelist. “The question was raised as to why rich people such as a shipbuilding magnate like Steinbrenner, an entertainment mogul like Werblin and real-estate biggies like Wilpon and Trump get involved in sports. ‘Sports,’ said Trump, ‘is a lousy business.’ He cited examples of teams' losing millions of dollars, and added that even when teams made a profit ‘it's peanuts by comparison to their other businesses.’ ‘If it's such a lousy business, then,’ he said, ‘why do we stay in it? Because we enjoy it.’ Fun, then, is the name of the game. ‘I'm sure,’ Trump continued, ‘that none of us up here can say he's in it for the money.’ ‘I can,’ Steinbrenner interjected. ‘I want to make money out of it.’” (New York Times, December 16, 1983)
  • Steinbrenner joked that he was withholding announcements of team management positions because he wanted to consult with Donald Trump for advice first. “Trump also took the opportunity to say that the Generals would soon announce their new coach. He hinted broadly that it would be Walt Michaels. Steinbrenner was asked when he planned to make an announcement about his managerial situation, which creates headlines almost daily. ‘I want to talk to Donald Trump about his scheduling,’ Steinbrenner said with a smile. For Steinbrenner - and this could come as a shock to some of his followers - publicity may be the name of the game.” (New York Times, December 16, 1983)