A kinder, gentler Philly sports fan? Here’s hoping. | Editorial

 

A kinder, gentler Philly sports fan? Here’s hoping. | Editorial

Philadelphia sports fans booing the home team is as old as throwing snowballs at Santa. Maybe it’s the wooder or lots of losing, but booing and obnoxious exploits are part of Philly’s natural order.

Phillies fans jeered Mike Schmidt throughout his Hall of Fame career, even though he remains the greatest third baseman to play the game. Schmidt, in turn, famously said, “Philadelphia is the only city where you can experience the thrill of victory and the agony of reading about it the next day.”

The boos — often fueled by booze — sometimes lead to boorish behavior. The rap sheet of ugly fan offenses is long. Examples include: Batteries thrown at players, a young fan intentionally vomited on, and an opposing fan’s cell phone thrown on the field.