Michael Kay laments Yankee fans not showing up for Old-Timers’ Day: ‘It’s been a problem’

Michael Kay believes New York Yankees Old-Timers’ Day has been missing one important thing in recent years. And no, it’s not Derek Jeter; it’s the fans.

After emceeing the 78th Old-Timers’ Day over the weekend, Kay used part of his Monday afternoon radio show on ESPN New York to lament that fans didn’t show up for the event. The announced crowd indicated that more than 45,000 tickets were sold, but fewer than half the seats were filled for the ceremony and the ensuing alumni game.

Old-Timers’ Day used to be one of the hottest tickets of the MLB season for Yankee fans, but in recent years, the lure has seemingly faded. “I don’t get it. It’s been a problem,” Kay said of the lack of fan interest.



“It’s different than when I had that script in front of me in the mid-90s, and I’m introducing Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford,” Kay acknowledged. “These are all-time greats! The names and the games, they echo in the halls of Cooperstown.”

“Maybe today’s younger fanbase is not into nostalgia,” Kay wondered. “I’m not sure, but how could you not be into the 1996, ’98, ’99, 2000 teams? The final three people introduced at the stadium Saturday, Reggie Jackson, Joe Torre and Mariano Rivera. It’s a little different. Although those are all Hall of Famers, it’s not Mantle, it’s not Berra, it’s not Ford, it’s not DiMaggio. It’s different. Times change, people pass away.”

Kay added that he never likes to tell people how to spend their money, but the announced crowd of 45,000 implies the money was spent; the fans just didn’t show up. Yankee Stadium gates opened at noon for Old-Timers’ Day, with the ceremony beginning at 12:45 ahead of the actual Yankees-Braves game at 3:05. That’s a long day. Asking fans to arrive three hours before the game during a heat advisory in New York City, with temperatures nearing 100 degrees, is a tough ask, even for fans who truly loved the ’90s Yankees.

“These men that have created so many great memories for Yankee fans of all ages, they deserve more than this. They do,” Kay insisted. “I’m not here to scold you, I’m not here to lecture you, not at all. I’m just here to point out that the place was half empty when I started introducing these great players.”

One way to bring juice back to Old-Timers’ Day would be getting Derek Jeter to participate. Jeter attended the ceremony in 2023, during a brief period where Old-Timers’ Day featured a question-and-answer session with players instead of the traditional alumni game. Last year, the alumni game returned, but Jeter didn’t, claiming to have had a schedule conflict with his daughter’s birthday.

This year, Jeter was again missing from Old-Timers’ Day. There were a lot of really popular players from those ’90s championship teams who took part in Old-Timers’ Day and the alumni game, but if the most popular player from that era doesn’t care about showing up for the event, it’s hard to expect 45,000 fans to.

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