The New York Yankees will no longer play Frank Sinatra’s version of “(Theme From) New York, New York” after home losses, ending a tradition that dates back over four decades and started with the approval of Sinatra himself.
The team confirmed the change as the Yankees began spring training in Florida over the weekend. Following a loss to the Detroit Tigers yesterday at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the familiar sounds of “New York, New York” were replaced by a different Sinatra song, “That’s Life.”
Since 1980, Sinatra’s “New York, New York” has played after every Yankees game, whether winning or losing. While it appears the tune will remain the go-to choice after Yankees home wins, a team spokesperson told The Athletic there will no longer be a particular post-loss soundtrack.
“We will be rotating through a number of different songs after a Yankees loss this year, none of them will be ‘New York New York,’” the spokesperson said.
A rep for the Sinatra estate did not immediately return a request for comment.
Though long a signature song for Sinatra, “New York, New York” was originally written by the celebrated songwriting duo John Lander and Fred Ebb for Martin Scorsese’s 1977 musical of the same name (Liza Minelli debuted the song in the film). Sinatra’s first proper performance of the song is traced to a 1978 show at Radio City Music Hall, and two years later, he recorded it for his 1980 album, Trilogy: Past Present Future (via The New York Times).
Not long after, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner reportedly heard a DJ play Sinatra’s “New York, New York” at a midtown nightclub. So enamored with the track, he asked the club’s DJ for a copy of the song, and then wrote a letter to Sinatra asking if the Yankees could play it as fans left the stadium. Sinatra obliged, and one of the team’s most storied traditions was soon born. (According to lore, Minelli’s version of “New York, New York” occasionally played after losses, though it eventually just became Sinatra all the time.)
The change in post-loss songs marks yet another major off-field shake-up for the Yankees heading into the 2025 baseball season. Last week, the team revealed that they have modified their longstanding rule against facial hair to allow for well-groomed beards.
