| Andrew Perna. 21st October, 2008 - 4:34 pm
 The city of Philadelphia has been a football town for quite some time.
Most fans pride themselves on the fact that they bleed green in honor of their beloved Eagles, but a strange wave of red pride has captivated the 'City of Brotherly Love' over the last fourteen months.
The success of the Phillies, combined with the struggles of the Eagles since the departure of Terrell Owens, has given the city another team to root for rabidly this fall.
The Eagles and Phillies reached their collective height in 1980 when the Phillies took home the city?s last World Series title against the Kansas City Royals. That same year, the Eagles reached their first Super Bowl but fell at the hands of the Oakland Raiders.
Since then, Philadelphia has enjoyed six NFC East titles (1988, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2006) and four NL East crowns (1983, 1993, 2007, and 2008).
The Eagles have won a higher percentage of their games in the last twenty-eight years, but the Phillies have now reached their sports? highest plateau on four occasions, including their 1980 World Series victory.
"Obviously, Philadelphia bleeds Eagles' green, but when the Phillies put a competitive team on the field, there's a reason they sell out so many games at the Ballpark and the TV ratings are so high," said Nick McIlwain, a Philly radio personality from the wildly popular Preston & Steve morning show. "Philadelphia is a baseball town; we just need a good team to support."
The transition from green to red progressed last summer when the Phillies overtook the struggling Mets to win a division title, but it began a few years ago when Owens left the Eagles and started doing push-ups in his driveway.
It seems to make sense that Philadelphia - famously a hard-working, blue-collar town - would relate easier to the scrappy, Fightin' Phils than the Eagles, who represent the city in their own right but have undoubtedly lost some supporters because of their absence from last year's playoffs and the lingering T.O. saga.
"Right now, they have passed them in popularity," McIlwain admitted.
In actuality, it doesn?t matter which team is the most popular in the city; Philadelphia just needs a championship.
Badly.
The Soul won the AFL Super Bowl this past season, but Philadelphia?s four major professional franchises haven?t exactly dominated in recent decades. Adding to the pain is just how close they have gotten to quenching their title thirst.
The Flyers last won the Stanley Cup in 1975, but have taken home twelve division crowns since. They have come close to hoisting the Cup again on many occasions, but their title-less streak has now stretched to 33 years.
The 76ers won the NBA Title in 1983, the city's last major championship, but fell short in both 1990 and 2001.
The Eagles have yet to win a Super Bowl, having taken home NFL Championships in 1948, 1949, and 1960. It?s been 48 years since Philadelphia has been on top of the football world despite their numerous division crowns and the presence of players like Reggie White, Ron Jaworski, Randall Cunningham and Donovan McNabb.
The Phillies, after more than a decade of futility, have risen to the top of the heap on the strength of their youthful roster. It had been thirteen years since the team last made the postseason when they eclipsed the Mets last fall, and they now stand just four wins away from giving the city a reason to celebrate.
They haven?t waited as long as Chicagoans have for the Cubs to win it all, but it?s worth pointing out that the 'Windy City' enjoyed six NBA titles in less than a decade recently.
Philadelphians haven?t had to wait 86 years (yet) for the Phillies to win the whole darn thing like Red Sox Nation did, but Bostonians have gotten to enjoy a number of NBA titles, 17 to be exact, some Super Bowls and now a pair of World Series crowns.
Fans will do almost anything to scratch their 25-year old itch, and I mean anything.
"I?d give my kidney. My left lung," McIlwain offered. "How many internal organs can one person spare?"
It may not take a vital body part, but it will take a lot to satisfy Philadelphia over the next seven-to-ten days. The Rays downed the defending-champions this past Sunday night, proving that they are, without a doubt, for real.
It?s hard to believe that the Phillies are the more seasoned team, with guys like Cole Hamels (24), Ryan Howard (28) and Shane Victorino (27) headlining, but the Rays do have a much-younger roster.
Matt Garza, Scott Kazmir, Dioner Navarro, Evan Longoria, and B.J. Upton, all of who played a huge role in Tampa Bay?s success this season, weren?t even born when the 76ers won the city?s last major championship.
That has to have Philadelphians seeing red, a color they have preferred to the envious hue of green in recent seasons.
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM.com. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail ? Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com. |
