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No subject is taboo for Flyers fans’ boos

Buffalo Sabres v Philadelphia Flyers - Game Five

in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 22, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Bruce Bennett

The Philadelphia Flyers are off to a gorgeous start, but their home opener wasn’t all pretty. According to Puck Daddy and various sources, Flyers fans added to the city’s folklore for over-the-line partisanship on Wednesday by booing members of rival teams ... who were part of a “Hockey Fights Cancer” campaign. Yikes.

Just as the sports world was getting around to feeling sorry for Philly fans after the Eagles and Phillies produced large quantities of misery, they slap away that sympathy with an ill-timed round of jeers. (That being said, we’d advise you to react in the same way people should to Sean Avery’s antics: by shaking your head and rolling your eyes. It’s mostly harmless stupidity, except when they start pummeling someone for wearing a Sidney Crosby jersey.)

It’s not fair to say that all Flyers/Philadelphia sports fans have such a cruel streak, but like Vancouver residents after Game 7 Defeat Riots Part II, it’s likely that the bad apples will spoil the bunch. Feel free to add more examples in the comments - Philly fans have quite the resume - but here’s some of the most obvious low points in Philadelphia fandom. (This story provided backup and also gives some other cringe-worthy moments.)


  • Cheering when Michael Irvin suffered a career-ending injury. Yes, the Dallas Cowboys are hated rivals, but that is literally the opposite of how most fan bases react to such situations. (Philly fans have reversed this trend, for the most part, recently.)
  • Bombarding a guy dressed up as Santa with snowballs just seems like bad form, doesn’t it?
  • As you’ve heard, Philly fans have been accused at throwing batteries on occasion, which is significantly worse (except when those snowballs are actually just frozen bricks/rocks/etc.)
  • Going the hockey route, Flyers fans booed Sarah Palin and one fan ended up getting into an unforgettable penalty box tussle with Tie Domi.

Again, surely there are plenty - likely millions - of Philadelphia sports fans who are civilized and knowledgeable. Still, moments like these make you wonder if a huge portion of the city’s sports fans are actually trying to live up to their bad reputation.