If there's one thing I think all human being on the planet earth can agree with, it's that incessant whining is never not annoying. Even if someone has something legitimate to bitch about, we still don't like to hear them go on and on about it every single day for hours on end. In comes Philly sports fans circa 2017:
"When will we ever win again in Philadelphia???"
"Philly sports hasn't won a playoff round since 2012!"
"Philly sports are so bad right now!"
You hear these sentiments peppered about the Philadelphia sports airwaves and streets almost everyday. There is a film of negativity and cynicism that has coated the populace, and is suffocating our fans to the point where some reek of complete and utter desperation. It's almost like the fans have dug themselves into a hole of misery so deep, that they aren't even considering the option of trying to find a way out. Like a death row inmate in solitary confinement who has been resigned to his fate.
It's a shame our city has been overtaken by this, because there is a lot of greatness in Philadelphia right now, and if people would just muster up the strength to search for it, you'd find it's staring you right in the face. I can't remember the last time I was this excited to be a Philadelphia sports fan. Excitement is oozing out of my pores for what is to come. I have news for you, 90% of sports cities in this country would kill to have what we have right now. Philadelphia has 3 players in this city who have the kind of talent and ability to where at some point in their careers, they could be considered the best players in their entire sports. They are Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Carson Wentz.
Joel Embiid had a historic rookie campaign(albeit for only 31 games) but even so, he put up numbers that most rookies could only dream of. Historic numbers rivaling some of the NBA's all-time greats, while on a minutes restriction. It would not be ridiculous to argue that he is one of the 3 most talented big men who has ever graced the NBA. Ben Simmons is a unique talent. He handles the basketball like a shooting guard, he passes like a point guard, and he has the body of a power forward. Oh, and has the athleticism and leaping ability to compare to some of the league's best. Carson Wentz, based on certain statistical categories had one of the best rookie QB seasons in NFL history. He was surrounded by minimal talent and was impressive all the way through, especially for a guy coming out of D1AA. If not for all eyes on Dak Prescott in Dallas, who was in a much more favorable situation, more eyes would have been all over Carson Wentz's phemonal rookie season. You can make a case with all things considered, it was the best in Eagles franchise history. And to throw one more name into the mix, let's not forget Ivan Provorov, who quickly adapted to the NHL as one of the game's most promising defensemen, and has potential to be one of the very best in the league for a long time to come. The fact is, not many cities in this country have the type of elite talent waiting in the wings that our city has.
With all 4 franchises on the right track, we are set up for greatness with all of our teams for years to come. On top of it, they've been fun and competitive each night for well over a year now. The time for misery is over.
"B...b...but Embiid gets hurt!"
"B...b...but Ben Simmons' jump shot!"
"B...b...but Carson Wentz sails some passes!"
Shhhhhhhhh.
You're doing it again, Philadelphia. Harping on the negative. You can do the same thing with any rookie. I could have criticized Ryan Howard's weight, or mediocre defense at first base. I could have harped on Cole Hamels coming into the league without a monster secondary pitch after his changeup. I could have brought up Allen Iverson's porous defense over and over again. Philadelphia didn't do any of that. This city used to focus on the positives, not the negatives. I don't know what has made us into this. This city has had tough stretches before. The 70's, the early 90's. We feel defeated, and that is a shame, because you are going to miss some great stuff going on in this city, stuff that is already going on as I type this.
Philadelphia boasts to be "all about championships." Remember all the times people spoke about how getting to NFC Championship games weren't good enough? "All I want is a Superbowl!" Remember when the Sixers couldn't sell out playoff games of teams led by Andre Iguodala? "We know they aren't winning a championship anyway, so why pay money?" Now, the city's sports teams have finally collectively embraced the desire to build teams that can win titles, and we have turned our backs on them. For shame. Building championship teams takes time. You can't just snap your fingers and skip over the rebuilding process. That isn't how it works. Wouldn't you love to just start a business and skip to the part where you become a billionaire? It doesn't work that way. Building a corporate empire takes time. You build up your company bit by bit. That is how things work in the real world.
So, I have news for you Philadelphia. It's time to shake that "woe is me" attitude, and start embracing the greatness that Philly sports is evolving into. If not, then when we start averaging two parades a year for the next decade, then do all of us grateful fans a favor and stay home. Sit on your couch and whine about how "The Eagles only won the Superbowl by a field goal!" or "The Sixers only won the NBA Finals in 5 games and couldn't pull off the sweep!" Keep your whiny, miserable asses away from the rest of us, and don't bring us down.
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