A Rational Discussion About Booing From a Fan’s Point of View

All I want to do is be positive about the Philly sports scene. The Eagles are fresh off a Super Victory (a high I still haven’t come down from) and Bryce Harper exists. Every calendar night through the year, we are fortunate enough to be able to watch competitive sporting events.

I am so grateful because there were a lot of days where it was the complete opposite. When I was in college (I’m 24), Philly Sports teams combined for three playoff appearances. The Eagles lost to the Saints in the Wild Card round my freshman year. The Flyers lost in the first round twice. As I was sitting there pregame in the Wells Fargo Center, I thought about how much more fun it is to see a city so loaded with talent.

So I didn’t want to boo. But…I did. Just once. Jonathan Simmons took an ill-advised three at the end of the first quarter instead of holding for the last shot. The Nets went down and hit a three to cap a 12-0 run at the end of the quarter. It wasn’t the last time someone booed in that arena, it only got louder.

You see, fans were ready to be supportive of the team and a Eastern Conference run. But, we watched a team in Game 1 who had just mailed it in for a month on the premise that they were saving themselves for this moment, look totally ill-prepared.

We were told sitting Joel Embiid was just “load management” so he’d be ready for the playoffs. Only for the playoffs to arrive and his knee to be a bigger issue than ever.

We were told “star hunting” would get us in title contention. Only for Tobias Harris to look lost and deliver a 4 point performance.

I think the reason so many people booed so loudly is because we felt deceived. This teams slogan is “Welcome to the Moment” and I don’t think we liked what that moment looked liked. Losing to the Nets in Game 1 on your home floor while looking lost and out of sync is not a chapter I’d thought there be in the Process documentary.

We’ve seen a lot of untalented rosters in the Philly sports scene, that’s one thing. It’s hard to boo that when you know how bad a team is. It’s a whole different thing to lose because of effort and preparation. Especially when we purposely supported this team through a few of those aforementioned “untalented” years to help guide us to this point. That’s when the anger creeps in and the booing creeps out.

But, here’s the thing about Philly (I’m looking at you Ben Simmons): come Monday night, that surefire sellout crowd will be roaring with passion and excitement. We’re the ex that doesn’t know how to walk away. No many how times you hurt us, we’re coming back to you with a lot of love to give. Booing and cheering, there are a lot of NBA cities, that give you little of either. I’m proud I’m not in one of them.