as a huge yankee fan i always find myself in these absurd conversations with jerkoffs: if they win the world series, they paid for it OR if they lose in the playoffs (or gasp, not make the playoffs yet finish the season in the top 5 teams in the mlb) they suck. its such a ridiculous argument.
as for paying for it. look at the revenue stream the team makes for nyc, jobs they create not just at the stadium but also through their television station and the area around the stadium - shitty area but most if not all of the bars in the area can say thanks to nyy fans for pre/post game drinks, and the asses they put in the seats when they go to oakland, seattle, and all the other small markets that cry about them. no one cries about philly or the dodgers or the sox buying their teams.