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The Bad Rap of Philadelphia Sports Fans
By Walt Haley
Just as there are clichés and stereotypes for all people of all ages and races, Philadelphia was one for its sports fans. Back in the 1968, the 2-12 Philadelphia Eagles football team decided it would be a great idea to trot around Santa after blowing another game by halftime. So they pelted him with snowballs for a laugh. The fan who played poor St. Nick said it was funny and it was only a few people. Urban legend has it thousands were thrown and the man had to be carried out by elves. Since then the town has been labeled as a place where fans are mean, cruel, and are out for blood at every event. Since then, a battery was thrown at a Phillies game and a drunken fan fell into a Flyers penalty box as he proceeded to get whooped by a Mapleleaf. My point is a few bad apples ruined the bunch.
This week an icon in our town passed away. Harry Kalas, the voice of the Philadelphia Phillies passed away before a game. He called games for 38 years and was universally known in the sports world as one of the most genuine people there are. Players loved him and he was famous for never turning away a fan, an interview, or a chance to leave his famous homerun call on an answering machine. Hundreds of thousands of Philly fans grew up listening to him on their transistor radios and passed the tradition to their kids. I was one of those kids and to the day it’s the only voice that every fan I know always imitates in daily life.
On Saturday April 18, his funeral was at the baseball stadium. Thousands of fans showed to pay their respects. Every radio station fielded memorial calls all week and stories and traditions were shared.
You can explain via an article the impact a baseball announcer can make on a town and for families.
Philadelphia fans are loyal and they are passionate. We boo when players don’t try to play to their potential. It’s typically out of frustration from enduring losing season after losing season. Prior to winning the 2008 World Series, the Philadelphia Phillies lost the most baseball games in MLB history. Despite all those loses, the fans loved the team and the cornball announcer who sang “High Hopes”.
The mainstream media won’t cover all the outpouring of love and loyalty, but we know it. Just don’t go to a football game wearing another team’s jersey on a snow day.
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