Apologia for Philly Phans

Before I begin, Apologia for the Latin-challenged means a statement or defense of a position. It is not an acknowledgement of an offense.

For over half a century, I have suffered the slings and arrows of being a Philadelphia sports fan. Recently, our teams have done well, but infamy darkens our sports' story. The Phillies have lost more games than any other franchise in history. The 76ers once won only nine games over an entire season. The Eagles have not won a championship since 1960. Despite winning two Stanley Cups in the mid-70s, those Flyers were better known for brawls and the appellation, The Broad Street Bullies.

But we fans still buy tickets. Still wear our jerseys. Still bleed the team colors. (The Phillies' color is red, so that's no big deal. Especially when the drunk sitting behind you wields a ice pick.)  We cheer and some times boo. Okay, maybe boo more than cheer. But if your translate Philadelphia from the  Kione Greek it means City of Brotherly Tough Love. Honest, I read that on the Interweb, so it must be true. 

As Jere Longman wrote is his book,  If Football's A Religion, Why We Don't Have a Prayer,  "Philadelphia has gained a reputation for its fans' hostile taunting, fighting, public urination and general strangeness." Of course, he was writing about Veteran's Stadium's infamous 700 level. The Vet is gone. Lincoln Financial Field and Citizen's Bank Stadium are kinder, gentler places.

Well sort of - an 11-year-old girl was purposefully vomited on by a fan at a Phillies' game last year. Then there was the guy who ran out on the field, avoided police and had to be tased. A couple weeks later, a 19-year-old in a red bodysuit ran onto the field. The police didn't use a taser  despite the fact that the entire stadium was yelling, "Tase him, Tase him!" With the exorbitant cost of not only the tickets, but concessions, can you blame fans for wanting the most out of their entertainment dollar?

Being a Philadelphia fan is a family tradition. Game day is a chance for families to bond. Even our opponents recognise this fact. Take ex-New York Giant, Michael Strahan, "It's the only place where you pull up on the bus and you've got the grandfather, the grandmother, the kids and the grand kids - everybody flicking you off." By flicking, he refers to the displaying of the middle finger.

They say you are what you eat. Philly fans eat things like hoagies, scrapple, cheese steaks, tastykakes, soft pretzels (the ones you buy from some guy on the side of the street marinated in exhaust fumes) and wash'em down with a Frank's Black Cherry Wishniak. Could this explain our behavior? It's a Phanatic-version of the Twinkie Defense, but much tastier. As ever - BB

"The streets are safe in Philadelphia, it's only the people that make them unsafe." Frank Rizzo