Spring Break
The curse of being a Philly Phan
Shawn Gauby
Issue date: 6/6/08 Section: Sports
Raising your children to be Philadelphia sports fans is the best thing that you can do for their psyche and well-being.
I have been a Phillies fan for as long as I could remember and I became passionate about all the other major sports teams by the time I was 10. Other than the Flyers, none of them were consistent winners, but they were all still fun to watch. You learn at an early age though, that no matter how well a team is playing, they will break your heart come season's end. At first this was quite disenchanting. I remember crying when Joe Carter hit the game-winning home run to end the 1993 World Series, and yes, I was old enough to remember being eight at the time.
All that losing made me callused, and I think it help build my character. After a while, you come to expect losing. Anytime Murphy's Law has a chance to ruin your day, it usually does. You gain the perspective that nothing will go right for you and no matter how much you want something to happen, you're bound to be disappointed. It strengthens and hardens your will and it forces you to laugh at yourself. I cannot get involved in an argument against my colleague, Mike Mazzeo, over whose teams are better. His favorite teams (Yankees, Devils, Nets and Giants) have all had far greater recent success than the Philly teams.
When I came to Drexel, I found plenty of people just like me with a dark, twisted view of their favorite sports teams. Having others to share my angst with helped develop my sense of humor and use of sarcasm in a sports context. I have made my share of friends at Drexel through sports. Though it may be in a negative light, we all can at least enjoy skewering our favorite goats.
When it came to Drexel athletics, I already had a negative view of the school as the baseball and volleyball programs had been cut the year before I had arrived. I have loved baseball all my life, and if there was any sport I would want to watch on a regular basis, it was that.
I have been a Phillies fan for as long as I could remember and I became passionate about all the other major sports teams by the time I was 10. Other than the Flyers, none of them were consistent winners, but they were all still fun to watch. You learn at an early age though, that no matter how well a team is playing, they will break your heart come season's end. At first this was quite disenchanting. I remember crying when Joe Carter hit the game-winning home run to end the 1993 World Series, and yes, I was old enough to remember being eight at the time.
All that losing made me callused, and I think it help build my character. After a while, you come to expect losing. Anytime Murphy's Law has a chance to ruin your day, it usually does. You gain the perspective that nothing will go right for you and no matter how much you want something to happen, you're bound to be disappointed. It strengthens and hardens your will and it forces you to laugh at yourself. I cannot get involved in an argument against my colleague, Mike Mazzeo, over whose teams are better. His favorite teams (Yankees, Devils, Nets and Giants) have all had far greater recent success than the Philly teams.
When I came to Drexel, I found plenty of people just like me with a dark, twisted view of their favorite sports teams. Having others to share my angst with helped develop my sense of humor and use of sarcasm in a sports context. I have made my share of friends at Drexel through sports. Though it may be in a negative light, we all can at least enjoy skewering our favorite goats.
When it came to Drexel athletics, I already had a negative view of the school as the baseball and volleyball programs had been cut the year before I had arrived. I have loved baseball all my life, and if there was any sport I would want to watch on a regular basis, it was that.
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