Hank Steinbrenner

Henry George Steinbrenner III (April 2, 1957 – April 14, 2020) was an American businessman. He was part-owner and co-chairman of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball.He was the older brother of principal owner and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner.

Steinbrenner was the older son of George and Elizabeth Joan Steinbrenner (née Zieg). He had two sisters, Jessica Steinbrenner and Jennifer Steinbrenner-Swindal. Hank was named for his grandfather, Henry George Steinbrenner II, who made the family fortune in the shipping business.

Steinbrenner attended Culver Academy and Central Methodist College, where he played soccer and earned a degree in history and political science.

From 2007 onward, George ceded most day-to-day control of the New York Yankees to Hal and Hank due to failing health. Even before their father's death, Hal and Hank made most of the decisions about the Yankees in tandem with team President Randy Levine and General Manager Brian Cashman.

During his stewardship of the Yankees, Hank Steinbrenner, like his father, gained a reputation for being outspoken. He was at times criticized by many New York sports columnists for his off-the-cuff remarks that seem to lack forethought. Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote, "Hank Steinbrenner is the owner of the Yankees by DNA accident. He blabs a lot, but does nothing that actually demonstrates leadership."

Steinbrenner voiced his displeasure with the term "Red Sox Nation" in a 2008 interview:

In response, Red Sox principal owner John W. Henry inducted him into Red Sox Nation, complete with a membership card giving him access to an array of options, including the group newsletter, bumper stickers, pins, Green Monster seats, and a hat personally autographed by David Ortiz.

Concerning the Yankees' spring training feud with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008, Steinbrenner stated, "I don't want these teams in general to forget who subsidizes a lot of them, and it's the Yankees, the Red Sox, Dodgers, Mets...I would prefer if teams want to target the Yankees that they at least start giving some of that revenue sharing and luxury tax money back. From an owner's point of view, that's my point."

Regarding former Yankees manager Joe Torre, Steinbrenner said that his father did not get enough respect for hiring Torre in 1995, and that Joe Girardi has "...a little more fire in his belly" compared to Torre when it comes to managing. Steinbrenner went on to say that he would "support everything [Girardi] does" and "[Girardi] was the manager I wanted, and that's not anything towards Joe Torre. That's the manager we wanted at the time. Times change."

In 2008, Steinbrenner lashed out when Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang was injured while running the bases in an interleague game against the Houston Astros, suggesting that the National League needed to "join the modern age" by implementing the designated hitter.

In September 2008, after the Yankees were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 1993, Steinbrenner penned an article in The Sporting News criticizing Major League Baseball's divisional format.

Despite his outspoken persona, Steinbrenner was not frequently seen around the team, and instead did most of his work from the Yankees offices in Tampa, Florida. He did make a rare appearance in February 2015 to examine Yoan Moncada.

Steinbrenner and his wife divorced in 2004. They had four children. His son, George Michael Steinbrenner IV, owns the IndyCar team Steinbrenner Racing, which fields a full-time entry in the IndyCar Series in partnership with Harding Racing under the banner of Harding Steinbrenner Racing.

Steinbrenner died on April 14, 2020, following a long illness.