Why don’t other cities reciprocate our hate?
As the Philadelphia Eagles prepare to face off against their archrivals the Cowboys, I feel it must be asked, why don’t other cities reciprocate our hate?
Philadelphia has some of the most dedicated, passionate fans in all of sports.
Whether it be the Phillies, the Flyers, the 76ers or our city’s favorite sons, the Eagles, Philadelphians bleed for their favorite teams and don’t believe in bandwagon jumping.
Games against the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Celtics, and Dallas Cowboys have become practically legendary in the city, with the Philly faithful showing out in droves, and ensuring that their rivals have to fight for every point they score in the 215.
So why don’t any of our archrivals reciprocate our hate?
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If you ask any of those teams whom their rival is, you will seldom hear a Philadelphia team mentioned, with names like the New York Yankees, the Washington Capitals, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Washington Redskins instead topping their most hated lists. Seriously, even Penn State, arguably the college football team with the most vested interest in the city, can’t say that their arch-rivals, Ohio State, would consider them to be enemy number one.
How could this be? I mean, it’s not like sports fans on a macro level have any kind of admiration for our fair city, with anecdotes about booing Santa Claus, throwing batteries, and fighting in the parking lot often hastily thrown around about the City of Brotherly Love.
It’s just bizarre.
Sure, our team’s haven’t exactly built dynasties atop a mountain of championships trophies, and winning is usually a requirement for a true rivalry, but with so many fierce battles taking place over the years, why don’t we have more defined rivalries?
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As the city looks ahead, maybe these rivalries could start to form.
Up until recently, the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t considered rivals, but now they absolutely hate each other after meeting three times in a row in the NBA finals. With Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz now set to headline their respective franchises for the next decade-plus, the future is rife for many more marquee matchups that could very well end up becoming classics in their own right in the very near future.
Similarly, the 76ers have practically redefined rivalries in the NBA with their new, exciting brand of basketball and social media. In the last year alone, names like Jayson Tatum, Lonzo Ball, and Malcolm Brogdon have become punchlines to many a Sixers joke, and as the team continues to thrive, these relationships will only get more and more hostile.
Even though our city’s rivalries are a bit onesided, it really doesn’t matter, because Philly is a blue-collar city, and we don’t need any external conditions to make our games matter. Just ask anyone who’s ever attended a game in our great city, regardless of record, score or positioning, Philly fans show up and make their presence know.
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With all of our teams currently on the upswing, Philadelphia is about to become a hotbed for professional sports with serious ramifications on a national-level, and could very well reestablish itself as America’s unrivaled sports capital.