I am cursed. Growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, I live with an affliction that affects hundreds of thousands of other people. For better or worse (mostly worse) we are Philadelphia sports fans, and we are never rewarded.
Of the four major professional sports teams that call Philadelphia home, none has won a championship since the 76ers won the NBA Championship in 1983.
That's 24 years.
Multiply that by the four teams in the city and it's 96 seasons since a Philadelphia team has been able to hold a victory parade, and unfortunately there's no hope in sight.
The Eagles are the team most thought would end this streak. Over the last six years, the team has looked like real contenders and one of the best teams in the National Football League. Playing in the Conference Championship Game four times as well as one trip to the Super Bowl over that same time period, a parade down Broad Street looked like a no-brainer. But, it has proven to not be the case, and at this point the team looks in disarray, meaning no Super Bowl win in the near future.
The Sixers are arguably one of the worst teams in the National Basketball Association right now. With the trade of the team's best and most exciting player in Allen Iverson earlier this season, there's really nothing to look forward to except the draft lottery.
As a fan, I openly root for the opposing team each game, as each loss gives the Sixers a better shot at that number-one draft pick. But even if they are able to draft Ohio State's Greg Oden or Texas' Kevin Durant, the chance of a championship is still not around the corner.
If there is argument about how bad the Sixers are, there is no doubt that the Flyers are the worst team in the National Hockey League. On Friday they traded away their best player in Peter Forsberg, a move that many think is an obvious sign the team is entering rebuilding mode. This means any Stanley Cup chance is probably years away.
That leaves us with the Phillies. They enter spring training this week with a team that some think has a chance to play for the World Series. First baseman Ryan Howard is the National League's reigning MVP, and the team looks more solid than it has in recent history. But history is certainly not on their side. At some point this season, the Philles will lose their 10,000th game. They are the most futile team in the history of professional sports, and although my heart wants to believe they can win, my head thinks otherwise.
Every year the media goes on and on about some team that hasn't won a championship in years. The Chicago Cubs are the go-to team now since they haven't won the World Series since 1908. But I'm sick of all the crying from Chicagoans since, on the whole, Chicago teams are certainly not as bad as Philadelphia's. The White Sox just won the World Series in 2005, and have they already forgotten the six NBA Championships the Bulls won in the 1990s?
Another team that repeatedly got attention until recently was the Boston Red Sox. Before winning in 2004, the Red Sox had not won a World Series since 1918. But again, other teams in Boston have given those fans things to cheer for.
The Celtics are probably the most storied franchise in basketball, winning 16 NBA championships. And the Patriots are perhaps the last great dynasty in sports, winning three Super Bowls in the last six years.
But for 24 years, longer than most Penn State students have been alive, the Philadelphia professional sports landscape has been barren.
Every year, fans, like myself, get excited for the prospect of a new season filled with hope, and every year we are unrewarded. Yet when the next season comes around, we are there, ready to have our hearts broken again.
It's almost like a dysfunctional relationship. If the person you loved left you disappointed and heartbroken over and over for 24 years, would you keep giving them another chance? No person in their right mind would put up with that treatment. They would move on. But there's nothing logical about being a sports fan.
As losses mount and trophy cases remain empty, the thought of abandoning my allegiance to these teams does creep into my head. But to remain a Philadelphia fan is my birthright.
I just don't understand people who root for teams like the Yankees or Cowboys without having lived in New York or Dallas.
It's easy to be a Yankees fan, and something tells me, not so satisfying. For me, if the Phillies were to win the World Series it would be a magical experience that I would remember for the rest of my life. But if the Yankees win, their fans see it as just another championship to add to the pile.
It seems that, as Philadelphia fans, we have built our identity around this losing history. A winning team would make us change who we are, and maybe even take away that edge that we have.
It's a chance I'll take.
