Philadelphia fans are widely regarded as the drunken louts of the NFL. Some of it is deserved. The Phillies Faithful will boo just about anyone. (I once heard them at a pre-season half-time show give it to a guy who made a bad throw to a Frisbee-catching dog). They have been known to cheer when an opposing player is hurt. But most of it is just media overreaction based on a stereotype.
Take the booing, for example. You can’t watch a nationally televised Philadelphia game without the announcers reminding you that Santa was booed in Philadelphia. I would say three things in defense of that assault on Philly fans –
1) He was a shabby, poor excuse for a Santa with a lousy arm. (He had it coming.)
2) The team was REALLY bad that year. (They were in a bad mood.)
3) It was over 30 years ago. (It’s time to move on.)
Now the media folks are stirring the pot once again. Donovan McNabb, the most successful quarterback in the history of the franchise was given his walking papers on Easter Sunday to make way for the Kevin Kolb (who?) era. Four months later, he sat down with the fine folks at GQ to chat about his up and down tenure with the Eagles.
Among his litany of complaints – he was booed on draft day. And it’s true, he was roundly booed the day that the Eagles chose him over favored running back/pothead Ricky Williams – by about thirty drunken agitators specifically bussed to the draft by a local radio station to make a point. I think it is safe to say that they didn’t fairly represent a cross-section of Philadelphia fandom. But no matter. Here we are, 11 years later, with the national media still talking about it like it was a universal response from everyone within the greater Philadelphia viewing area.
For better or worse, the Eagles and McNabb have parted ways. Kolb has the full support of the fans – until the first time he throws an interception or takes an ill-advised sack. Then the kid’s gloves come off and they’ll treat him like a Frisbee dog guy or a poorly-dressed Santa Claus.
