Comments on: Philly fans and Boston fans are basically the same

By: chap6869

chap6869 — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 14:16:41 +0000

Thank you Dr. Phil.

By: Brian Donohue

Brian Donohue — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 11:12:07 +0000

Well since the very word’s root describes a psychopathology (and to be fair to the city of the cracked bell, its mascot’s name is perfectly open about the matter) — to even identify oneself as “fan” is to say, “I am mentally ill.” This, of course, goes for all sports in all nations (and extends beyond sports in fact). To be interested in a game or a city or a given celebrity is one thing; to be fanatical is to enter a parallel reality of pathological groupthink. So sportswriters could serve their public better by questioning rather than aggrandizing a disease.

By: deathmonkey41

deathmonkey41 — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 03:13:08 +0000

Boston fans smell like Chowdah.

By: yahmule

yahmule — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 01:45:19 +0000

Boston fans are whiney and almost unbelievably self absorbed. Philly fans take pride in behaving like mindless troglodytes in public. Really very little to recommend about either group. Pointless to complain about them because they interpret any valid criticism as jealousy.

By: cur68

cur68 — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 23:42:22 +0000

Awright. Don’t make me have to come over there with pig spears. Stop knockin’ on the BoSox fans. Y’all can’t be insulting them like that. Nu-uh. In my opinion Sox fans are lovely, erudite, charming, and, given that one of them has agreed to be my HBT Girlfriend, possessing of superlative taste in people. Philly Phans cannot be described in these terms except as sarcasm. So I’m just sayin’ this so we’re all clear: it’ll be pig spears at 40 paces for insulting my Girlfriend’s People if this happens again.

By: schmedley69

schmedley69 — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:52:39 +0000

Agreed. There is not much love for Schilling in Philly. He was a clubhouse lawyer who begged his way out of town and then called our new ballpark “a joke” upon his first visit. He was one of the best postseason pitchers ever, and I am grateful for what he did in ’93, but like most of his teammates over the years, I don’t like the guy and wish that he would just put a sock in it. I support him for making the Hall of Fame, but I don’t want him in the Phillies Wall of Fame.

By: ll8078

ll8078 — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:50:07 +0000

i’m 22. 2008 was the only parade i’ve attended, and only win i’ve seen in my life (all four sports). For everyone under ~35, they did invent victory.

By: chap6869

chap6869 — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:41:40 +0000

Citynative, What’s your favorite or hometown team, I’m curious? you look up your little stats that conveniently align with your side of the argument but ignore the ones that poke holes in it. I promise you the Mets attendance will drop this year and through the upcoming years, does that mean that Mets fans don’t have passion? Trust me, Phillies fans know Mets fans have passion, I myself can’t stand them but I give them their props for having that passion. But when their attendance drops it won’t be because they dont care, it will be because their owners no longer cared about them to even attempt to field a Major league worthy team. Living in Pa., I know many Pittsburg Pirates fans. They love the Pirates, supported them for years, attended their games, bought their shirts and hats. They stopped going, not because they aren’t passionate about their team but because they got sick and tired of throwing the time, money, heart and soul into a team that just doesn’t care about them. They have one of the nicest parks in baseball and nobody goes, why? Because their owners are one of the cheapest in baseball. They haven’t given their fans anything to cheer about in 20 years!!!!
My guess Citynative is your from a city and have a team that spends alot and have never had to experience suffering, I’m not talking 1 or 2 years of suffering but decades of suffering through last place teams that were always in the bottom quarter in spending, teams that have never given a damn about their fans. I got news for you, 1.6 Million fans in 1997, that is passion and loyalty shown to a team that hadn’t gave a damn about their fans for 15+ years!!!!!
You know what isn’t passion? Having a team make the playoffs for a solid decade and can’t even fill the stands, DURING a playoff series. Showing up at games in the 3rd and leaving in the 6th. You know who those fans are.

By: mel47

mel47 — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:50:45 +0000

Having lived in both places and attended games at the Vet (not CBP) and Fenway, I’d say they used to be the same but the crowd at Fenway started to change in the late 90′s. The arrival of the pink hat fans, which really accelerated with new ownership and the subsequent park renovations (as well as ridiculous ticket prices), changed the atmosphere from drunk fat guys screaming obscenities and smoking cigars, to scene queens and corporate fat cats.

By: citynative

citynative — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:16:09 +0000

@CJ & others

The original post stated that east coast fans are more passionate and west coast fans don’t care. Then the stats were referenced and most west coast teams have outdrawn the Phillies throughout recent history. Now the excuses are coming out for why Phillies fans have not shown up in the past. Weather, bad owners, the stadium. Does this equal passion? Excuses are passion?

CJ, you bring up % of capacity. The Vet had over 60,000 available seats for most games. Why are you ignoring this? In 1997, the Phillies finished dead last in attendance in the National League with under 1.5 million fans in a stadium that fit 62,136 that year. Passion.

By: draytm01

draytm01 — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:00:14 +0000

Oh really cupopizza. I personally respect your fans and think it’s a mecca for baseball, but these comments seem to think there are a fair share of you scumbags in Boston too.

Comment from Tampa Bay outfielder/DH Luke Scott on how “vulgar” Red Sox fans are:

“Just their arrogance,” Scott said. “The fans come in and they take over the city. They’re ruthless. They’re vulgar. They cause trouble. They talk about your family. Swear at you. Who likes that? When people do that, it just gives you more incentive to beat them. Then when things like [the last game of last season] happen, you celebrate even more.

Take the gentlemen sitting along the right-field wall at last night’s Red Sox-Yankees Opening Night extravaganza (see http://blog.masslive.com/redsoxmonster/2010/04/red_sox_fans_demonstrate_inter.html for pic)

Must be a complete coincidence that he and his friend are extending the International Sign of Friendliness (yes, flipping him off) to Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher here, as he chases down a Kevin Youkilis line drive in the right field corner.

By: cup0pizzasadumbass

cup0pizzasadumbass — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:15:56 +0000

Yeah, but at least we can spell!

By: cup0pizza

cup0pizza — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:43:12 +0000

Phily fans are scumbags; Sox fans aren’t.

By: CJ

CJ — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:39:42 +0000

You CAN’T put butts in seats that don’t exist.

EDIT!

By: CJ

CJ — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:38:56 +0000

Might want to adjust those #’s for % of capactiy, then see what that tells you. I’ll give you a hint, 3 of those stadiums are larger than CBP (at least one significantly larger…by >10k) . You can put butts in seats that don’t exist.

By: paperlions

paperlions — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:22:19 +0000

Why not, Shirley?

By: CJ

CJ — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:04:02 +0000

When the losingest franchise in sports history finally wins something, breaking a championship-less streak spanning all 4 major sports teams in the city that lastest longer than my lifetime, we have every right to act that way.

Because for many Philadelphia sports fans, the Phillies did invent victory in 2008.

By: crisisofinfinitephils

crisisofinfinitephils — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:49:30 +0000

Ah the ole bad owners excuse for why philly is now a baseball town. See, they care TOO much and are totally not a front running town.

By: crisisofinfinitephils

crisisofinfinitephils — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:31:20 +0000

Arent we all fans of the universe? Oooooh you mean the contrived nickname given to yankee fans by the yanks marketing department in a lame attempt to trump the word nation that no one really uses.

By: kpierce12

kpierce12 — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:30:26 +0000

ohh no we dont like Curt Schilling .. who basically cried his way out of philly. i am sure boston likes JD Drew 10000 times more than philly considering drew never played a single game for the phillies major league team and JD drew had mvp like years in boston

btw for all ur philly sucking notes.. let me remind you we have had many many bad owners . of course there attendance would go up at Citizens bank .. The vet was unbearable in the summer. all the other ball parks you idiots are comparing to it didnt have heat index’s of 95 or higher during June-September

By: WhenMattStairsIsKing

WhenMattStairsIsKing — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:25:08 +0000

Don’t call him Shirley.

By: 18thstreet

18thstreet — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:16:26 +0000

It’s magnificent. Next thing, he’s going to start spreading rumors about Andy Pettitte coming back.

Oh, crap. I have to go to a meeting. I’ll post this in two hours, when I get out of it. No time.

By: chap6869

chap6869 — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:01:46 +0000

you’re right, my bad.

By: Gordon

Gordon — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:00:38 +0000

Do Boston fans throw up on each other too?

By: chap6869

chap6869 — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:57:57 +0000

The Dodgers and Angels fans outdrew the Phillies? Would that be just between the 3rd to 6th innings?

By: chaseutley

chaseutley — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:45:39 +0000

This just in…..
Craig is really good at baiting fans and generating pageviews.
…..Now, back to your regularly scheduled broadcasting.

By: citynative

citynative — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:40:10 +0000

@chap6869

The stats just don’t support your claim. What is the easiest way to judge fan passion, loyalty, etc? It is a fan paying for a ticket with their hard earned money. Lets go back 10 years before the Phillies started their run in 2007. From 1997-2006 (according to Baseball Reference):
The Giants outdrew the Phillies every year (at both AT&T Park and Candlestick in a 2 team market).
The Dodgers outdrew the Phillies every year.
The Angels outdrew the Phillies every year.
The Padres outdrew the Phillies 7 out of 10 years.
The Mariners outdrew the Phillies 8 out of 10 years
The A’s outdrew the Phillies 2 out of 10 years. (Yes, the A’s. In a two-team market)

During these years, the west coast teams have outdrawn the Phillies (both at Veterans and CBP) 47 of 60 times. Since the Phillies playoff run it has evened out, but does this make Phillies fans more passionate or frontrunners?

By: hushbrother

hushbrother — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:29:09 +0000

Right, Boston fans drove Terry Francona out of town :eyeroll:

By: CJ

CJ — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:28:21 +0000

Fans of the universe? quiet?

surely you jest.

By: sdelmonte

sdelmonte — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:26:42 +0000

To New Yorkers, of course they are alike. They are from patently inferior cities, and root for teams that are the enemies of all right thinking human beings.

And at the same time, both Phillies and Bosox fans would agree that anyone and everyone from New York is from a patently inferior city with a superiority complex, and its denizens root for one of two teams that are the enemies of all right thinking human beings.

So, yes, they are obviously alike.

(This carries over to football, basketball, hockey, college basketball, and probably even food.)