Infamous Fan Moments In Philadelphia Sports History
March 30, 2015
Philadelphia sports fans are known for being arguably the most passionate fans in all of professional sports. Despite the fact that the Philadelphia Phillies are the city’s only professional team to win a championship in the last 40 years, Philadelphia fans constantly sell out stadiums in support of their various teams. This year, the Phillies have one of the worst online MLB sportsbook odds of making the playoffs, but it won’t stop their die-hard fans from filling the stadium in support of their team.
While Philadelphia fans are known to be extremely passionate about their teams, they are also known to blur the lines between passion and insanity, which is why we have decided to take a look at some of the most memorable moments in Philadelphia sports history.
Pukeman
One of the most recent instances of a Philadelphia fan taking things to extremes is the story of Matthew Clemmens. Sports fans from other cities might not know who that is, but anyone who has followed Philadelphia sports in the past should be familiar with his story.
In 2010, Clemmens was upset that a little girl’s father called security on his group for being unruly during a game. After security escorted a friend of Clemmens from the ballpark, he walked up to the man and his daughter, shoved his fingers down his throat, and puked all over the girl and her dad, who happened to be an off-duty police officer.
Fights during Ring Ceremony
As previously mentioned, the Phillies are the only Philadelphia team to win a championship in over 40 years. In 2008, the Phillies won the World Series for the first time since 1980. Fans of most franchises would have been happy their team just won a championship, but Philadelphia is not like every other city. During the championship parade, Phillies fans were fighting each other instead of celebrating the championship. At the ring ceremony following the championship, the fans booed Adam Eaton then fights broke out during the game.
Ed Rendell’s Bet
Former Philadelphia district attorney and current governor Ed Rendell made a $20 bet that fans sitting in the 700 level of Veterans Stadium could not hit the field with snowballs from their section. Never ones to back out of a bet, the fans pelted the field with snowballs during the Eagles game, leading to the installment of a jail under the stadium.
Indecent Proposal for World Series Tickets
Having passion for your favorite team is one thing, but one Phillies fan took the word fanatic to a whole new level when she offered sex to anyone who could provide her with tickets to the World Series. The put an ad on Craigslist and it was answered by a cop who arrested her for attempted prostitution.
Santa Claus Gets Booed
This is probably the one thing Philadelphia sports fans will catch grief for as long as professional sports are played in the city. According to some fans, Santa was booed and attacked with snowballs because he was drunk, while others say he was attacked because fans were upset with management. Even if either excuse was true, it doesn’t justify their behavior that day.
Michael Irvin Injury Cheered
The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys have a bitter rivalry so it is understandable that fans of both teams can’t stand each other. Philadelphia fans took things to the extreme in 1999 when Hall of Famer Michael Irvin suffered what would turn out to be a career ending injury. Irvin remained motionless on the field after a hit from an Eagles defenseman. Instead of fans hoping the receiver would be okay, which is the norm for injured players even if they wear an opposing jersey, Eagles fans were cheering Irvin’s injury solidifying their position as the most hated fan base in professional sports.
Now that we have listed the most infamous moments in Philadelphia sports history, it is time to declare a winner. All the behaviors listed in this article are pretty bad, but puking on a kid has to take the cake.
