Born and raised a Maryland sports fan, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I decided to attend a university in Pennsylvania. I’ll never forget the dirty looks I received on campus during the first week of my freshmen year as I foolishly paraded around in my Washington Capitals apparel. Philadelphia fans are truly a phenomena in professional sports, but in the eyes of an “outsider” they are somewhat intimidating. Throughout the various sports conversations I had in my first year at Neumann, I realized that telling a Philly fan that they are “terrible” “obnoxious” or “the worst fans in the league” was perceived as a compliment the majority of the time.
Attending the Capitals v. Flyers game last night was a great testament to my perception of Philadelphia fans. This game marked the third time I have gone to see the Capitals play the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center, and each time I go I find it interesting to see how the other Caps fans carry themselves. My personal favorite is the classic “Macho” fan that wears his Ovechkin jersey and is most of the time louder and more obnoxious than the Flyers fans. Me? My size doesn’t allow me to be the macho guy. Besides, I would much rather be the quiet fan enjoying watching my team play as opposed to spending the majority of the game arguing with Phlly fans.
I used my usual strategy for attending games at Wells Fargo Center: No Capitals apparel was worn and the Capitals license plate on my car was covered up by duct tape. Of course I would be cheering for the Capitals during the game, but I thought it would be a good idea to conceal my identity from the Flyers fans at least until the Caps scored their first goal, at which point in time my cover would be blown and I would become the target for verbal abuse from all angles. Naturally, I ended up in the middle of a group of guys in their twenty’s whose love for the Flyers was clearly only surpassed by their love for alcohol. After the Flyers gained a 1-0 lead in the 1st period, the Capitals quickly responded to tie the game 1-1. The moment had come, I stood up and clapped for my team. I should have known that this relatively subtle action was overstepping my limits in Wells Fargo Center, and a fan three rows back was sure to remind me. “DON’T YOU DARE STAND UP AGAIN.”
After the Capitals tallied their second goal the fan behind me “accidentally” spilled a beer on me, thankfully the majority of it was only on my jacket. I thought about looking back at him for an apology, but as I looked to my left and right I saw that the dirty looks had begun to ascend upon me. I decided it would be a better idea to just enjoy 2-1 lead and deal with my beer scented hair later. As the first period ended, the night was beginning to look bleak for me and the question went from “How am I going to get back to my car alive?” to “How will I make it to the restroom and back to my seat alive?” But low and behold the “Macho” Caps a couple rows in front of me decided to make themselves the center of attention, saving me from further abuse. As the Caps began to take control of the game and took a 5-1 lead over the Flyers, the insults began to fly faster than an Ovechkin slap shot – not sure what happen to those fans after the game.
Being the fan of an opposing team at any sports venue in the country is always an interesting experiment. But I have found that the event is all the more exhilarating in Philadelphia. And for all the bitterness and nastiness that I have come to know and expect from Philadelphia fans in general, I have to admit they are one of the most unique fan bases in all of sports and I have a lot of respect for them. There is no room for failure in this town and the fans will be the first to let their team know when they are not playing up to par. And if you are a fan of the opposing team you better understand what you are getting yourself into when you go to a game at Citizen Bank, Lincoln Financial or Wells Fargo. As a Capitals fan at Neumann, I find a great deal of common ground with the Cowboys and Yankees fans. We will continue to argue and stand up for our team(s), but we all know the ultimately resistance is futile against the fans of the Phillies, Eagles and Flyers.
THE JOUST 