The Anguished Groans of a Philadelphia Sports Fan

Several years ago, I thought of writing an article called, "Philadelphia, Home of the Season Ending Injury". It seemed as though every major star on every major sports team in Philadelphia had been lost for the season or had missed significant time during the course of the season. There seemed to be a black cloud hanging over the city. After this past weekend, with the second consecutive season ending injury to Eagles QB Donovan McNabb, I think the major sports injury that Philadelphia sports teams inflict on fans is more painful and takes more rehab than an ACL tear or sports hernia. It's a broken heart.

There is a famous (or perhaps infamous) sports talk radio station in Philadelphia that, I believe, exists for the sole purpose of allowing Philadelphia sports fans to voice their frustration and pain over not having won a championship in a generation. In fact, they actually have a commercial that promotes the station that says, "23 years of championship disappointment.....and counting.....sports radio 610, W.I.P." The last team to win a championship was the 1983 76er's. I was barely 6. Since then the Phillies have accumulated the worst overall record of any sports team in any sport. The 76er's have been satisfied with being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs every year. The Flyer's play like champions all year and then turn into scared little school girls when they get to the playoffs.

Which leaves the Eagles. Most people in Philadelphia, myself included, consider the Eagle's their favorite team. The reason is that they have been relatively good (with a few exceptions) for a long period of time. They currently have a waiting list of season ticket holders that is over 50,000 people long. Their annual retention rate is 99.8%. That means that unless over half of the sold out stadium died of a heart attack simultaneously (which is actually not too far outside the realm of possibilities given their eating habits), almost no one on that waiting list will get season tickets in their lifetime. The problem is that this team comes every year with promise and excitement and then fails to deliver. They have developed an unbelievable knack for making you love them and believe in them in September and then ripping out your heart and driving over it with a steam roller in December or January (this year, it came early - woo hoo!). Our hopes for a championship hinge every year on the Eagles. And people wonder why Eagles fans can be so nasty. You try hoping for a team to win every year only to be kicked in between the eyes.....every year since John Kennedy was President.

From my unofficial research, Philadelphia is the only city with the four major sports teams (football, baseball, basketball and hockey) that has not won a world championship in a quarter century. New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, they have all won championships in the last few years. Heck, even small cities like Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Miami, Baltimore and Arizona (that's a joke, I know Arizona is a state, just chuckle and move on) have won championships in the last few years. Those Sports Illustrated ads that try and sucker people into subscribing to them by expoiting the excitement of a championship team's success makes me sick. "Hey sports fans, the Texarkana Armadillos are World Champions, get your copy of the SI Commerative edition today!" What makes me mad is that they never have had a Philadelphia sports team there. If they did, I would subscribe to SI like 50 times. We have had a few chances: the World Series in 93, the NBA finals in '01, the Super Bowl in '05 and the Stanley Cup finals sometime back in the late 90's, I think, and every time, they got beat.

All I want is one championship. I don't even care which sport. Heck, the city is so desperate that it went crazy for a few years because we had HORSES that did pretty well. Smarty Jones, he was great until the Belmont. Then we all thought that Barbaro was our triple crown winner. And then his leg broke in half. I just want to experience a parade. Just one.

So this weekend, when my team, the Philadelphia Eagles, are marched out to their official execution (their death sentence was given last week when they lost to the horrendous Tennessee Titans and lost McNabb for the year) in front of a national audience and are decapitated by the Colts, I will proudly wear my Eagles jersey for the last time this season. Once the execution is over, I will quietly fold up my jersey, as I have done every year since I have owned it, put it in my closet and think, as I have thought since I can remember following Philadelphia sports: Next year. Maybe next year.....