Photo Credit: LAPRESSE
Controversial former Secretary of State, national security advisor, and diplomat Henry Kissinger died aged 100 years on November 29, sparking reactions around the world from paying respect to his career and honoring his work, and people cheering on his death and labeling him a war criminal.
Kissinger's legacy is a complicated one, and the sports world is not a stranger to it, as the New York Yankees released a statement lamenting his death, labeling him as a 'friend of the organization' and a 'frequent guest for the Steinbrenner family and Yankee Stadium' over the years.
Fans react to the Yankees statement
The Yankees, being the most hated sports franchise in America, received lots of criticism on social media after their statement: From fans asking for the post to be deleted, labeling it as 'embarrassing' and giving adversarial fans 'another reason to hate on the Yankees'.
The Twitter / X post was ratioed as it has over 3.2 thousand replies and just 2 thousand likes, with most of the retweets and comments on the statement being critical of the Yankees and Kissinger's life and legacy.
Kissinger's complicated legacy
Heinz Alfred Kissinger was born in the Bavarian city of Fuerth on May 27, 1923, the son of a schoolteacher. His family left Nazi Germany in 1938 and settled in Manhattan, where Heinz changed his name to Henry.
Kissinger had two children, Elizabeth and David, from his first marriage.
Never without his detractors, Kissinger after he left government was dogged by critics who argued that he should be called to account for his policies on Southeast Asia and support of repressive regimes in Latin America.
For eight restless years - first as national security adviser, later as secretary of state, and for a time in the middle holding both titles - Kissinger ranged across the breadth of major foreign policy issues.
