Spike Lee explained why he has ‘respect for the Red Sox’ despite being constantly trolled by fans

"Every day, there's a golf ball that somehow just finds its way in my lawn. And I see scribbled, 'Spike, Yankees suck!'"

Spike Lee at Fenway Park in 2014. AP Photo/Elise Amendola

September 9, 2025

3 minutes to read

Spike Lee and Red Sox Nation: Filmmaker Spike Lee is well known for being one of the more passionate sports fans who also happens to be a celebrity, famously cheering (and heckling) from his courtside seat at Madison Square Garden.

And while Lee has become more noted for his Knicks fandom, he’s also an enthusiastic Yankees supporter. This comes despite the fact that Lee owns a home on Martha’s Vineyard, a fact which he recently mentioned in an interview on “The Rich Eisen Show.”

Speaking to help promote the release of his new movie, “Highest 2 Lowest” on Apple TV+, Lee discussed the Yankees’ current status and playoff hopes. In the context of baseball, he told Eisen that he’d just returned from his home on the Vineyard.

“I have a house in Martha’s Vineyard, and I’m on the 18th hole. On top of my house is a flagpole with the interlocking NY,” he joked, referencing the Yankees logo. “And you know what state Martha’s Vineyard is in?”

Lee laughed as he explained how Red Sox fans find a direct way to troll him.

“Every day, there’s a golf ball that somehow just finds its way in my lawn. And I see scribbled, ‘Spike, Yankees suck!'”

The legendary director said he’s had fun with it, especially after the Knicks’ playoff win over the Celtics earlier in 2025.

“Even better, when the Knicks beat the Celtics in the playoffs last year, I took down the Yankees flag and put up a Knicks flag,” he said.

Still, Lee acknowledged that he enjoys being a part of the classic MLB rivalry.

“But you know what? I’m going to give you something that’s really true: I have respect for the Red Sox,” he said. “You know why? They asked me to throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park.

“I thought they got me mixed up with somebody else,” Lee joked. “They said, ‘No, no, no, Spike, we want you.’ And I was wearing a Derek Jeter road jersey, No. 2. I said, ‘Look what I’m wearing?’ They said, ‘Forget it, we want you to throw out the first pitch.’ The Yankees never asked me to do that.”

“Love the Red Sox,” Lee admitted. “When they asked me to that, I thought they were on crack or something.”

Lee appears to be referencing a game from Aug. 30, 2003. The Yankees won that day at Fenway Park, defeating the Red Sox 10-7. As for Lee’s reception from Boston fans, Associated Press reporter Jimmy Golen chronicled it at the time: “Even though his introduction noted that he has a home in Massachusetts, he was loudly booed.”

Trivia: In the movie “Do the Right Thing,” what player’s jersey is Spike Lee wearing at the beginning?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: The number worn by this player has been retired by all MLB teams.

Scores and schedules:

The Red Sox defeated the Athletics 7-0 on Monday, with Garrett Crochet striking out 10 in seven innings of work.

The two teams play again in Sacramento at 10:05 p.m. tonight.

More from Boston.com:

Old teammates talk: Mike Vrabel sat down with ESPN analyst (and former fellow Patriots linebacker) Tedy Bruschi for a chat.

On this day: In 1979, the Patriots crushed the Jets 56-3 in the second game of the season. Steve Grogan threw for five touchdowns, with wide receiver Harold Jackson making three catches (all of which were touchdowns) for 121 yards.

In the postgame, Patriots cornerback Raymond Clayborn and Boston Globe sportswriter Will McDonough got into a fight in the locker room after — according to accounts of the incident — the New England cornerback was trying to intimidate media members as they attempted to interview Jackson. The two were eventually separated, according to the Globe’s Michael Madden, by other sportswriters and Grogan.