In his book, True Believers, Joe Queenan asks, “Why do fans live and die with their teams? For Yankee, Cowboy, and Laker fans the answer is fairly clear: the return on investment is relatively high. But why do people root so passionately for tragically inept teams like the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies? Why do people organize their emotional lives around lackluster franchises … [that] have never won a championship in their entire history?”
As the Philadelphia Eagles continued to steamroll their opponents this past weekend, running their record to 3-0 for the first time since 1993, I found myself thinking back to the questions raised by Queenan. As a lifelong fan of the team affectionately known as “The Birds,” I have seen countless moments that have made me wonder just what the hell I was thinking. As McNabb continues throwing bombs to wide receiver Terrell Owens, I hark back to the days of yore, when Randall Cunningham was throwing touchdowns to Fred Barnett. It didn’t end well. If memory serves me well, 1993 was the year the Eagles began 7-2 before missing the playoffs entirely. So, excuse me if I don’t seem upbeat.
I know Red Sox fans can relate right now. The Sox have the best record since the All-Star break, but that will mean absolutely nothing when the ghosts of Yankee Stadium start gusting winds in the Yankees’ half of the inning. To someone like me, teams don’t lose because of poor play. They lose because they didn’t thank the Lord, or something like that. A bit demented? Yes, but how else can one explain the immutable facts that seem to have no governance in reality?
I hate to say it, but there some teams are cursed. Cursed in a way that their fans know when disaster is close by. Did any sane Red Sox fan think that Pedro was making it through the eighth inning of last year’s American League Championship Series? Maybe Cubs fans deluded themselves into thinking that they really were going to the World Series last year, but experience shows this hype is only momentary until inevitable defeat ensues. It is at this point that they can all relate to what I like to call “the pang.”
The pang is the feeling that occurs anytime I see a Philadelphia team in a game they need to win. Like clockwork, whichever team the city of Brotherly Love is playing against seems to come up on top. Red Sox and Cubs fans can complain all they want, but they have had the Celtics, Bruins, Patriots, Bulls and Bears all win titles.
Philadelphia has not won a championship of any kind since the Sixers won it in 1983. That’s a drought of 21 years without a single parade. You would think that a benevolent deity would look upon Philly, see the deep passion fans have for their teams and award them with a title. He knows that we would willingly trade our very existence for the one chance to see our teams win.
Obviously, I’m looking at this current NFL season through rose-colored glasses. Although the Eagles look strong, there is a sense of guarded optimism. It’s not that I don’t think they can win, it’s just that I know how easily they can lose. Just ask that 1993 team; they know all about it.
