Fighting with opposing fans, throwing snowballs at Santa and cheering for the career ending injury of a rival team member. These are just some of the ways that Philadelphia sports fans have made the headlines over the years.
Philly sports fans have always gotten a bad reputation for their boisterous fan base. Their unapologetic energy has led supporters of opposing teams to describe them as loud and arrogant. The best part about all of this is that these fans love every second of the reputation that they’ve earned over the years.
Home to five professional sports teams and the Philadelphia Big 5, which includes La Salle, Villanova, Penn, Temple and Saint Josephs and is played at the Palestra, one of the oldest college basketball venues in the country, Philly has a very wide range of options for sports.
In other cities, the number of teams may scare off some people who like to only follow one or two teams. But why isn’t that the case for the Philly faithful?
Philadelphia sports psychologist Dr. Joel Fish said passion is built into the fiber of the city.
“It’s central to our identity,” Fish said.
Currently, the Philadelphia Eagles have a 6-1 record and are atop the NFL standings. The Phillies were just eliminated in game seven of the NLCS. The Flyers have a 4-2-1 record and are currently atop their division. The Philadelphia Union are gearing up for an MLS playoff run after a 4th place regular season finish. And the Philadelphia 76ers lost 118-117 to the Milwaukee Bucks to open their regular season but they are projected to be one of the top teams in the NBA this year.
Clearly, right now, Philly sports fans are spoiled but that hasn’t always been the case.
Unlike other major sports markets like New York and California, Philly hasn’t had an abundance of championships. The city’s last championship run was in 2018 when the Eagles won the Super Bowl before that it was the Phillies world series title in 2008.
“The fact that we’ve had a scarcity of opportunity or championships I think makes Philadelphia even more unique. Why? Because it makes the hunger more unique,” Dr. Fish said.
And Dr. Fish is right, winning a championship after a long wait only makes it that much sweeter.
The Philly faithful have been called many things before, but they continue to support their teams through it all, and now, they’re being rewarded with high level performances from almost all of their teams.
The fans are the common denominator for all these teams. The passion and energy make watching them on TV riveting and convinced me to root for the Phillies on their run to the NLCS this year. The brotherhood that is being a Philadelphia sports fan has made me a fan and you could be the next.
