Celebrate, Philadelphia!
Hug your neighbors. Throw a parade. Riot in the streets.
The drought is over; the curse has ended; Billy Penn has relented on the punishment he doled on the city two decades ago.
The Philadelphia Soul have won the Arena Bowl, finally bringing a professional sports championship to the City of Brotherly Love.
What, the Soul aren't good enough for you? Well, they're the best the city's got going for it right now.
I'm sure you've figured out that I'm not a native Philadelphian. But as a D.C. sports fan who has come to live in Philly, I've heard nothing but negative comments from the fanbase here.
Philly fans may have reasons for doom-and-gloom forecasts. After all, I won't pretend to know what it's like to get so close to so many big wins, just to come up short.
But when something comes along to celebrate, shouldn't you embrace it?
There will be a parade today, but if local buzz is any indication, more people will be turning out to see Soul owner Jon Bon Jovi speak than will actually know the cause for celebration. In fact, the Soul's remarkable rise to the top in four short years will likely go completely unnoticed by most residents.
Unfortunately, this is not unusual. While this is the Soul's first big victory, another Philly team has risen to dynasty status all-too-quietly.
The Philadelphia Barrage - of Major League Lacrosse - moved from Bridgeport, Conn. in 2004 and proceeded to win three of the next four championships, including back-to-back titles the past two seasons.
But for some reason, the city never embraced this squad - a squad that has remained at the pinnacle of success in the highest-level league of what is arguably the nation's fastest-growing sport and in one of the sport's hot spots. This year, after playing at Villanova Stadium the past four years, the team's poor financial status forced it to hit the road for the entire season.
Despite five years of success - yes, the Barrage are again in the title hunt despite playing "home" games in places ranging from Cary, N.C., to St. Louis to Hillsboro, Ore. - Philadelphians never opted to support the team enough to keep it.
An MLL Championship never warranted a celebration, or a parade, or even a front-page headline in Philadelphia. Now that the Barrage are gone, any joy Philadelphians could have garnered from the team's success is gone.
So, with the Soul now enjoying success, Philadelphians need to embrace the team or continue to wallow in self-loathing for years to come.
But - if the local media is any indication - that doesn't seem to be the attitude Philadelphians are taking. The Philadelphia Inquirer buried the story below the fold and The Philadelphia Daily News put a Phillies victory on the back page instead.
And in a poll on The Inquirer's web site, nearly three-quarters of respondents voted that the Soul's victory did not counter the Philadelphia "jinx," stating that the championship had to come from one of the four "major" sports teams: the Eagles, Phillies, 76ers or Flyers.
That distinction, though, is in itself arbitrary. Why can't the Soul be considered a fifth major sports team? Their championship was nationally televised on ABC. They played seven of their 16 games on ESPN or ESPN2 - more than the Flyers.
True, the Philly teams already designated as "major" all have more history behind them, and all are currently showing some success, but it's achievement in smaller leagues that will keep local sports fans satisfied for the time being. That's one lesson that they can learn from us Quakers fans.
Understanding that Penn, without scholarships, can't compete on the national scale in big-money sports like football and basketball, is a first-step for anyone who comes to Penn and looks to become interested in the sports scene. Instead, we choose to focus on the success the Quakers have had in women's lacrosse and squash, among others.
We still root for the major sports, of course. We just recognize that success on the national scale likely won't happen and so we focus our energies on cheering for Ivy wins and Championships.
That way, we Quakers fans can find success in our school's major victories in minor sports and minor victories in major sports. As such, we can maintain pride in the organization that represents our fanbase. Why can't Philadelphians do the same?
By not enjoying the good times that come along, they subject themselves to miserable lives as fans. So in the end, this negative attitude is self-inflicted.
Philly fans continue feeding into the stereotype - one of a fan who believes, even with his team up by a significant margin, that failure is always right around the corner. If the Soul have proven anything, it's that the city name on the front of the jersey does not affect the outcome of the game or even the season.
Philadelphians, take note. By recognizing and appreciating the small teams, we Quakers can remain happy. And by showing appreciation for what the Soul have accomplished, you can keep them around. With further success, you may someday come around and be happy for their accomplishments.
And if there's anything I've learned from two years in Philadelphia, it's that smiles for a Philly sports fan are not easy to come by.
