Top Ten Reasons Philly Fans Aren't Really THAT Bad

Sometimes I wonder what other people think about us. I wonder what people in other countries think about Americans, or what other Americans think about Pennsylvanians. But to see what others think of fans of Philadelphia teams, one does not need to look far. We have a bad reputation. I'm not sure it is earned, though. Here's why:

1. We're Not Dallas
Last I looked, no Philadelphia fan has shot anyone in the parking lot after a game. Spat upon? Yes. (Not exactly proud of that either.) But we don't kill people. (What a great way to start, right? We don't kill people.)


2. He Wasn't REALLY Santa Claus!
I'm so sick of the whole snowballs at Santa Claus story from over 50 years ago. Most people who bring it up weren't there and don't even know the story. The guy was a drunk stand-in for the real actor (think: Miracle on 34th Street reversed.) He did a bad job. He deserved to be pelted. And come on. It's just snow. We don't kill people.


3. We Know Talent
We've had the good and the bad in Philly. Take Sanchez. (Please! Take San… oh, thank you, Denver.) When you're good, we cheer louder than anyone else. (We miss you, Chase Utley!) When you're bad, we're not going to stand for it. We are equal-opportunity booers. So if you do a butt fumble, or miss a really important shot, be ready to be pelted with snowballs. Or rubber bracelets.


4. We Don't Stand For Fakes
If you're faking an injury because you can't keep up, you deserve to be booed. In Philly, you play hard. And we'll keep you honest about that. See # 2. And #3. Also #5. Think of it as just protecting our fellow viewers from deceit.


5. Cheesesteaks. You're Welcome
Wit or witout, there's nothing like 'em, but ONLY from Philly. Here's a tip - don't buy one at any other ballpark. It will never measure up. See #4.


6. Sometimes We Give Up. But We Always Come Back.
Championships in this town happen, but they are rather hard to come by. And I like winning. So, I have my Philly teams, but then I have my "teams with a chance in the playoffs" teams, like the San Fransico Giants or the Green Bay Packers. But every fall… Go Eagles! There's always a chance. We're not Cleveland.


7. Midnight Green
Yes, I know we started with kelly green. Good thing that was gone long before this decade. And one of our teams has to deal with orange, while two others have red and blue. But the midnight green? Even some of our classless fans don't look as bad as someone from, say, Cleveland.

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8. History
Yeah, okay. I'm stretching here. Our teams have been around for a long time. In some cases, your team has been beating us for over a century. The Phillies were the second professional baseball team formed, after the Reds (or, Cincinnati Red Stockings), in 1883. Coincidentally, Pennsylvania was the SECOND state to join the Union in 1776. We have a long history of not being first. Be nice to us. It's been a rough road.
(And, the Eagles were in the first group of teams formed in the NFL in 1933. The Sixers came along in 1946, and the Flyers formed in 1967. Philly sticks around. Respect.)


9. We Get Close Enough To Make It Exciting
Just when we're ready to throw our nachos out onto the field… something happens and the team does a big turn around. We get all excited. This could be it! We pull out that giant foam finger again. We might actually make it this time! We're due! And then we remember… we're Philly. It's been a rough road.


10. Just Trust Me. We Aren't That Bad.
So I couldn't come up with a full 10 reasons here. You're just going to have to trust me. We aren't Cleveland. And we have cheesesteaks! But they could kill you. You've been warned.

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