Yankees History: Lou Gehrig’s Illness Blamed for Team Struggles
Over the years, there have been some bad takes by sportswriters. Perhaps the worst one came on this day in 1940, when the New York Yankees struggles were blamed on an epidemic caused by Lou Gehrig.
It was difficult not to feel bad for Lou Gehrig. The New York Yankees legend, still seemingly in the prime of his career, had been struck down by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The great and powerful slugger was reduced to a shadow of his former self, forced out of baseball by the disease that would come to bear his name.
That goodwill that Gehrig had built up in his career, and his status as a Yankees legend, did not mean anything to New York Daily News sports editor Jimmy Powers. On this day in 1940, he wrote an article blaming the team’s struggles on Gehrig. it was not that they missed his presence in the locker room or at the plate; but rather that the Yankees had “a mass polio epidemic” caused by their proximity to Gehrig.
Perhaps the idea was that such a horrific statement would sell newspapers. After all, terrible ideas and statements tend to attract curiosity. While Powers’ statement likely caused sales to increase that day, it also caused a great deal of outrage.
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That outrage was also shared by the Yankees. The team quickly condemned the statements by Powers, but he did not offer an apology or a retraction. After waiting a few weeks, Gehrig filed a libel suit against Powers and the newspaper for $1 Million, a hefty sum in those days. Shortly thereafter, ten of his teammates filed their own suit, for another $2.5 Million.
Eventually, Powers offered a retraction and an apology, admitting to his mistakes. Gehrig dropped his lawsuit. The result of his teammate’s suit against Powers and the newspaper, however, could not be found, as it quietly went away. It was not the only controversial statement the editor would make, nor the only time he would be sued for libel in his career.
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Lou Gehrig was a New York Yankees legend, but that did not stop him from being the subject of rumor. On this day in 1940, his illness was blamed as the reason the Yankees were struggling.