A Packer fan's take... edited to be shorter...
ANATOMY of a CITY, a true experience and a letter to all.
As I emerged from the subway and placed my foot on the top step of the subway station exit, I heard the Anatomy of Philadelphia being defined, a**hole. A word that would used by EAGLE FANS no less than once every 20 seconds for the next 3 hours or every time they recognized a green jacket that spelled out PACKERS. The closer I came to the stadium, it was apparent that the four letter F word was the adjective of choice, but as I arrived at the entry gate this four letter F word also became verb. When I looked into their eyes of these Eagle fans, I felt sad for them, as they represent the Anatomy of the City of Philadelphia and I thought to myself “How bad can these EAGLE fans be?”
While walking to my seat, the continuation of the verbal abuse heightened and physical abuse started with intentional bumping and pushing as they saw the letters PACKER. I looked over and saw a female Packer fan wearing a Packer Hard Hat and watched as it was taken off her head thrown to the ground and smash into pieces of gold plastic, then picked up for souvenirs or weapons.
When I arrived at my seating area, I was approached by security and told that I should not push anyone, not defend myself, not to talk or make eye contact with any fans that were taunting me. He mentioned to yell at him if I was physically attacked as they have a jail and court operating in the stadium during the game for these kind of people. I thought to myself, “Welcome to the DMZ ZONE. If I point out an attacker and have IT taken to the stadium court then I can sit among ITS friends in harmony. What is wrong with this scenario says the SPIDER to the FLY.
After the Security Staff assurance, I though to myself, “How bad can these EAGLE FANS be.” I can take a little heckling, I can refrain from eye contact, I can keep my mouth shut, and I won’t even have a beer during the game, so let the game begin. It took less than 5 minutes for the vulgarity in this area to remove a female Eagle fan and her two young children. The first Packer touchdown produced a macho beer throwing event intended for my Packer jacket and the departure of a young couple dressed in Eagle gear, they never returned.
At half time I walked a few yards from my seat area and in every direction I turned was the vision of the angry faces of Philadelphia as they spit out the word a**hole. By now the four letter F word was now being used as an adverb followed in a noun form. It became quite apparent that the EAGLE FANS have reach a communication level where they can structure a complete sentence using only one word.
During the second half I was the recipient of all the loose change from the Subway as the EAGLE FANS felt that trying to hit a Packer fan in the face with a coin was their expression of the BIG HUNT. Then with only a few minutes remaining in the game an EAGLE Fan came and tried to take my seat by shoving his way into my row, obviously trying to set up an EAGLE Mob reaction. The TIME OF TRUTH was upon me. Such thoughts ran through my head: Do I physically react? Do I walk away? Do I want to live? Do I want to see the rest of the game? Do I want to be wrestled to the ground by an EAGLE MOB? Or do I just want to wake up, this must be a NIGHTMARE?
After pondering the options, I yelled for security to get me out of this Den of Despicables. I then departed my seat heading for a safe haven. Little did I realize, the environment would not improve and that the experience I was having at my seat was prevalent in the concourse area as well. With the Packers having a chance to win the game and my Packer Jacket visible to ALL, things would only get worse. One good tackle and I would be on the ground with the assurance the EAGLE MOB would never let me rise again. Fortunately, a men’s room sign appeared and I headed directly for the HCP toilet reversing my jacket and walking out with no visible signs of the Green Bay Packers.
When I emerged from toilet the Eagles scored to send the game into overtime. I high fived the EAGLE MOB as I headed for the exit and started feeling proud of myself and my survival skills. I walked past the iron exit gates and hailed a cab to Ralph’s Italian Restaurant on 9th Street where I finished the overtime and enjoyed a Veal Piccante with a glass of French merlot. I took a relaxed breath and thought to myself, “How bad can the Eagles fans be? I LIVED!”
It wasn’t until the next morning after departing the Latham Hotel, an excellent boutique hotel in downtown Philadelphia, that it all came together. The taxi radio was tuned to the local morning drive sports talk show as we headed to the airport for my flight out of town. On the radio was an Eagle fan explaining that his wife was a Packer fan and he now will have to cook for himself for the next month. The local radio talk show host told this fan that his wife was a JACKASS and he should tell her to get her FAT a** out of the HOUSE. It was then I realized that the vulgar violence that I had escaped the night before was not just isolated at the stadium, it is a culture, a culture that has shown me the ANATOMY of PHILADELPIA.
I thought to myself, “Would I ever return to Philadelphia? WOULD YOU?
“The time has come for all responsible franchises, corporations, public leaders and their fans to face this issue,
THE ANATOMY OF YOUR CITY.” Steve Erban, a Packer fan and part owner in Creative Charters, a company that has taken over 15,000 Packer, Badger, Gopher, Viking, and other Sports fans to all of the major sporting events.
Steve can be reached at 651-748-0080 or steve@creativecharter.com
This letter is being sent to all NFL Franchises, Sports Illustrated, New York Times, Philadelphia and Green Bay News Papers, 60 minutes, ESPN, CBS, FOX, ABC, NBC sports and anyone else that will listen.
