Back in 1997, George Steinbrenner's New York Yankees signed a 10-year, $93M sponsorship deal with adidas. At the time, other MLB clubs cried foul and said that Steinbrenner's Yankees had an unfair advantage because they were in a big market and signing such a lucrative deal with adidas would allow them to sign players that the smaller market clubs would not be able to afford (the more things change, the more they stay the same). Several clubs filed a grievance opposing the sponsorship.

What did "The Boss" do? He filed suit against each of the 29 teams and MLB Properties to force their acquiescence. The suit was ultimately settled, Steinbrenner's Yankees got their millions from adidas, and to this day, you can see adidas name and logo in Yankee Stadium.

In 1999, at the height of the Yankees championship run that saw them win 4 World Championships, "The Boss" decided to star in an adidas ad. Steinbrenner was 69 years old at the time and as cantankerous as ever.

So why is it, that this very clever ad didn't receive more notoriety? Because the ad never saw the light of day. It was banned. Not by the TV networks, but by Steinbrenner's wife Joan. Turns out Mrs. Steinbrenner didn't want her husband showing so much skin. I guess we now know who the REAL "Boss" is.