Sometimes its not easy being a Philadelphia sports fan. It’s never easy being a Philadelphia sports fan in the city of Pittsburgh. I grew up in Northeast Philadelphia, as close to the suburbs while still being considered in the city limits as you get. At age eight, our family moved ten minutes to the other side of the Welcome to Philadelphia sign entering the suburban upper-middle class community of Huntingdon Valley.
After high school graduation, I wanted to go to school as far away as possible, while still living in the state to get good financial aid. I choose the University of Pittsburgh. Moving from the east coast to the east with no coast was a big change for me, geographically and culturally. Before moving out to Pittsburgh, I really didn’t know anything about Pittsburgh sports teams. I had no animosity towards the Steelers when they played the Eagles. Of course, I wanted the Eagles to win but it was just another game to me. They were just another opponent. Growing up a Philadelphia fan, we have never liked the Giants, Cowboys and Redskins. These three teams have always been bitter rivals of the Eagles playing them in the NFC East twice a year. In Philadelphia, there has never been hatred for the Steelers because they are in the AFC.
When I moved to Pittsburgh, I quickly realized the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, and even the Sixers (Pittsburgh has no professional basketball team) were despised with a passion. My first thought was that Pittsburgh fans hated every team in every sport spread around equally. I was wrong. Some days at Pitt, I wished to be a New England Patriots or Denver Broncos fan. The stares I got for wearing a ten dollar Eagles hat or a Flyers jersey from my friends 1998 Bar-Mitzvah with my last name printed on the back was verging on hostile.
Before this story goes further, let me just say I love living in Pittsburgh. Now, up to this point this statement might seem contradictory. I have been a resident here now for six years. The last two years since I graduated, I have lived in the Southside which has been great. It has everything a 23 year old would want with bars, restaurants, shopping, grocery stores, and a movie theatre. That’s why this is hard to write. However, on the cusp of my Flyers reaching the Stanley Cup and the anger Pittsburgh fans have displayed to Philadelphia on the radio and to me at work propelled me to write about it.
What Pittsburgh fans don’t understand is that Philadelphia is not that different when it comes to our sports teams. We both expect our teams to play hard and fight to the end. We expect our teams to win, and if you’re not giving 100 % as a player, you will hear it from the fans. Both cities are hard-working, blue-collar towns. It’s tough when even saying the word Philly in Pittsburgh is grounds for alienation and isolation. Pittsburgh fans love to say, “Why do you live here if you don’t like the Steelers and Penguins?” No question could be more narrow-minded and immature. People from Philly are here for school, work, and many other reasons. It’s an uncomfortable feeling when you’re afraid to walk your dog at night wearing a Flyers or Eagles jersey. The fear of getting verbally abused and physically abused supporting Philadelphia sports in constantly on my mind.
Every time I go home to Philly for a long weekend, I see Steelers fans wearing their gear at the gym, in the supermarket, and at the local Starbucks. No one cares. No Eagles fan walks up to a Steelers fan while their ordering their mochaccino and verbally abuses them. It just doesn’t happen. It could be that people in Philly have more going on then just their sports teams. I really don’t know. I do know that Philly fans are passionate. Someone can be passionate about their city and sports teams and respectful of other people at the same time. Is it fair that if you’re from Philadelphia and reside in Pittsburgh a stigma automatically comes with that even if you’re not into sports? I love Pittsburgh, but it would be nice if Pittsburgh loved people from Philly back.
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