John Henry blames Red Sox fans for their own unhappiness
John Henry is here to remind Boston fans how unlikable he is.
The Red Sox’ principal owner has given a new interview with a media outlet, which has become increasingly rare in recent years. This time it was with the Financial Times, which is behind a paywall. But NBC Sports Boston’s John Tomase took one for the team, and went through the interview to pull the highlights.
Shocking news: his commentary is bad.
What stood out the most is that, when addressing the Red Sox’ lack of big spending in recent seasons, he essentially blamed the fans for having unreasonable expectations for the team.
“Because fans expect championships almost annually, they easily become frustrated and are not going to buy into what the odds actually are: one in 20 or one in 30,” Henry said.
That’s a classic billionaire-owner-who’s-not-trying-to-win tell. There are 30 teams, therefore, your odds of winning in any given season are one in 30. But even if that math was invariably true, that’s no excuse to stop trying to make your team into a winner altogether.
Henry also touched upon what he believes is a “false belief that many fans and media have that you should mortgage the future each year for the present.” Who’s out here demanding that the Red Sox mortgage the future every year?!
BOSTON, MA – JUNE 26: Chairman of the Boston Red Sox Tom Werner and principle owner John Henry walk on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on June 26, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
It’s not that Henry isn’t mortgaging the future. It’s that the Red Sox are basically neglecting the present altogether. They’re 11th in payroll in the major leagues this season, yet they’re worth $4.5 billion as a franchise, the third-highest valuation in baseball, and generated over $500 million in revenue in 2023. They can most certainly afford to invest in a better baseball team on the field right now, without borrowing from the future.
But perhaps the worst part of all? Henry says he’s not going anywhere.
“My wife and I live and work in Boston,” Henry said. “We are committed to the city, the region. So the Sox are not going to come up for sale. We generally don’t sell assets.”
That’s how he views the Red Sox. Just another asset.
Only hope for the Red Sox, now, is that their top prospects all pan out to the point that they don’t need to invest heavy money into the team for a while. They need to hope they win that way. Because their absentee owner is clearly fine just sitting on his hands, then pointing the finger back at his own paying customers for being unsatisfied with a barely .500 team since 2018 (388-383, .503).
Oh well. Let’s go 2048 Red Sox.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
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Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, right, strikes New York Yankees batter Alex Rodriguez at Fenway Park in Boston. The two fought after Rodriguez was hit by a pitch by Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo. The Red Sox won, 11-10, with a 9th-inning game winning home run by Bill Mueller. (Photo by J Rogash/Getty Images)
Tier 2
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