Every time a fan rises to cheer the Yankees, you can bet there’s someone somewhere who doesn’t feel the love.

Yankee-hating goes to another level in these tough economic times, when multi-millionaires win the World Series as millions of people look for work.

Dr. John Tauer, a psychologist blogging for Psychology Today, examines Yankee-hating, using his normally mild-mannered mom as an example.

His conclusion? He believes parents teach their children the wrong lessons when they hate the Yankees because of their huge advantage in resources (money).

Tauer says parents instead could point out positive lessons, such as that deeds matter more than salaries or reputations.

Sports being the emotional experience that they are, it’s hard to imagine Tauer will make many converts with his article. And yet it’s intriguing to think that what some people view as the “Evil Empire” can actually teach positive lessons.

“Our kids can learn a lot from sports,” Tauer says. “It’s our job to keep positive energy, motivation, and values at the forefront of our children’s minds. Just as with life, in sports what we did yesterday means little, and what we plan to do tomorrow means even less. What does matter, and what we can focus on, is what we’re doing and what we’re encouraging our kids to do today.”

Tauer, by the way, is not writing from an ivory tower. He is the assistant basketball coach at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. You can read his bio here.