**I should state first that, while there's nothing wrong with expressing love for the product of your choice, the following is just my dry comedic attempt at talking about how a specific lot of you get. Not that this won't be met with fans justifying their reasons (some that I can guess will be agreed upon), but all that said, let's start.
Look, I can't speak for all the cities that have their teams being repped by the locals, but I couldn't help but think about how Philly fans can be. There's something in the air, water, whatever's consumable and vital to daily living that just turns them into borderline cannibals.
Even before social media was a phrase (because it was a thing in the late 90s, but that's another story), you could see it in the eyes of anyone wearing the jersey of their respected "squad," the way they speak about said squad as if they're on the field with 'em, but these are general characteristics of (fellow) sports fans/enthusiasts/mainlining fiends.
But Philadelphia. I swear.
If for some reason, you wanted to recreate a scene from a zombie apocalypse movie, walk into a Philly sports bar on game day with the jersey of a team outside their peripherals. If you're lucky, you'll get a few verbal lashings and curse words going your way, some of this without being drunk, mind you. You're free to dish them right back at them, too. It's one of those rights we have as an American, and as fan of our team of choice.
But there's the other sect, the ones that will sadly choose to get physical with you, because apparently humans (especially football following humans) aren't allowed to think for themselves, and believe that you must love the team you live closest to, and not who you're spiritually closest to.
These are usually the ones that are subjective in knowledge of some "other team" called the Steelers, that share lands with a state called Pennsylvania, which Philly is allegedly located there, too (Note: It is). There's two well-respected teams in the same mass of land, but from September to February, Philly becomes its own city-state, converting their money to ones with the faces of Dick Vermeil, Randall Cunningham, and Buddy Ryan just for kicks.
But even with all their die-hard rambunctiousness, there's actually respect for them in most of this. These are the fans that stick to the team during good and bad times, and there have been some heavy ones in even recent years. These are the ones that can function knowing that, just like themselves and others they care for in their lives, the team's gonna' have some messy periods. What better people to count on than those that are there when you're down, versus who's only there when you're up? You people are good, and so long as you're not part of the angry mob of pitchforks and torches to those opposed to your team(s), stay that way. In the economic and political donnybrooks this world's in lately, we need to save that type of passion for that, to a point.
Unless, of course you're doing it to Dallas fans. Then it's kinda' justified.
Sorry, that's my East Coast side coming out. Carry on.
[End Scene]
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