It's official, nothing will ever be more Philadelphia than this
At this point, Philadelphia fans have developed something of a reputation. Perhaps you're aware of it. They ran into subway poles and ate literal horse poop following the Eagles' Super Bowl win. They somehow climbed into a rival's penalty box and tried to start a fight. They once pelted Santa Claus with snowballs, and if you bring that up in their presence, there's a decent chance they'll start pelting you with snowballs. They're relentless; they're demanding, and refuse to apologize for it; they are, in every way, A Lot.
This Phillies season has been no different. They turned Opening Day into a block party. They commandeered half of our nation's capital in support of Bryce Harper, then spent the ensuing months acting like they kinda sorta hated him.
But never in the history of Philly sports have they been quite so much as they were on Tuesday night, in an otherwise innocuous late-August game against the Pirates. Not only did they boo a player on their own team -- let's be real, that would not be news -- but they booed a player on their own team while said player was actively doing something productive on the field.
S-ROD IS ON A TEAR #RINGTHEBELL BABY pic.twitter.com/GZ3JzZ2bLV
— Nick Piccone (@nickpiccone) August 28, 2019
That's Sean Rodriguez, member of the Phillies, hitting a double in front of Phillies fans ... and getting booed for it. Doubles are still good, we checked. But it came just a day after Rodriguez -- after coming through with a walk-off homer, it should be noted -- criticized some Philly fans for being overly harsh.
This is it. This is the moment that will inspire listicles and slideshows for decades to come; the moment in which Philly sports fandom reached its final, self-aware form. Not content to simply walk in the footsteps of fans that came before them, they raised the stakes. Because really, what could be more Philadelphia than viewing the maintenance of a grudge as the actual game at stake?
