A Global Enterprise (in Courting the Yankees)

Abstract

The New York Yankees may be, with apologies to the Atlanta Braves, "America's Team." But from Babe Ruth's barnstorming tour of Cuba in 1920 through the recruitment of current stars such as Hideki Matsui, the baseball team has operated internationally. Along the way, it has encountered various legal obstacles. This chapter details the Yankees' involvement in a wide variety of international legal issues both serious and frivolous, ranging from the fabled defection of Orlando Hernandez from Cuba to the criminal and civil litigation that embroiled Dave Winfield in Canada after he beaned a seagull.

Keywords: baseball, international law, Yankees, immigration, Orlando Hernandez

JEL Classification: K33