Being a fan of any Philadelphia sports team these days brings nothing but pain and anguish. Even through all of the frustration and heart-breaking moments, the fans in Philadelphia continue to show their support for these teams. Even when the Flyers were on a downward spiral, it wasn’t until this season that the fans refused to see games in person and allowed for other teams fanbases to take over the Wells Fargo Center.
Through all the misery, the fans would continue to show support. Of course, there weren’t sellout crowds, but there were still decent turnouts with the occasional sellout sprinkled in. Even still, we saw the occasional “Please Win” custom jerseys or fans covering their looks of disdain with paper bags. Even through all of that, the main thing on the everyday Flyers fans’ mind was having a team that could get back to the cup and bring it back to Philadelphia. Behind all the pain and the jokes made their way from opposing fanbases, the fans continue to support this team.
There is more behind a Philadelphia Flyers fan than being called, ‘violent’, ‘drunk’, and ‘obnoxious’. They are truly some of the most passionate fans in the world. Behind the snowball incident, batteries and even wristbands, the Flyers fans will also show respect to opposing teams. One bad spark can set off a powder keg, but for the majority of the games, the fans are just so passionate and involved. Things such as Dallas Stars fans throwing beers on the ice, Colorado Rapids fans throwing beers at players, and a fan spitting at Trae Young at Madison Square Garden have all had little blowback. Philadelphia fans know that if was them, it would have blown up across all of the national media outlets. But, regardless of who you are, as long as you wear the jersey of a Philly team and give them all you can every night. They will protect you and lift you up on the pedestal where star players should be.
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Let us never forget when Gritty was introduced and the media and fans in Philadelphia rejected him for the first couple hours going as far as to call him ‘nightmare fuel’. Then, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ mascot Iceburgh took shots at Gritty. It wasn’t until Gritty fired back at Iceburgh that our big orange misfit won Flyers fans over. The fans flocked to Twitter to defend the now-beloved mascot and defend one of their own. This moment proved just how protective Philly fans are of what is theirs, and that no one messes with Philadelphia.
Some of the best days in recent Philadelphia sports history were when the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl, and the Phillies went to the World Series. People in Philly were just nicer and violent crimes actually went down. If the city almost burned down from these joyous times for those teams, imagine what will happen to Flyers fans who are starved for success and looking to end their Stanley Cup drought.
This also means that the ridicule coming the way of the superstars in this city can be tough. It may not be as bad as the media in Boston, New York or Los Angeles. The Philadelphia media will hold coaches, front offices, and players accountable themselves. It might even be the stars who are doing all they can and haven’t been able to deliver due to shortcomings from their front offices. Claude Giroux will forever be one of those superstars that got a lot of ridicule. A majority of the fanbase still loves him and is following him, while some are glad he’s gone.
Philadelphia fans are some of the smartest in the league, but are also controlled by their passion. Just remember, if you give the fans your all, they will travel to any location under any circumstances and in any weather to see their team pursue the ultimate success. The fans will also be there for the good times and the great. Show the fans that you care, and they will give you the same respect and treatment right back to you. This will be the true test for Comcast. The Flyers fans have made it clear they want the team sold. With a new regime and front office, Comcast has clearly listened to the fans’ desire meaningful hockey and a return to being a Stanley Cup contender.
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The next time you see a Flyers fan or any fan from Philly going through it, just remember that this is their escape from working so hard all week. The people of Philly are hard-working and grind for everything they have. They expect their teams to bring the same mentality to the battlefield.