kontextmaschine:

If you’re not from around Philadelphia, you’re maybe not appreciating how perfect “a ‘fucked up’-themed sports mascot” is as a civic personification

Like my whole life coming after the '70s collapse, besides the Rocky steps or LOVE statue “creepily intense about sports” was all the identity Philly had,* throwing the Phillies door-prize batteries or that one football game where we cheered louder the longer a rival player stayed down motionless after a hit.

We’d been in the longest championships drought of any city in America with that many teams (part of it was the dual football/baseball Veterans Stadium had terrible unpadded AstroTurf and come playoffs the Eagles were always riddled with injuries, in reaction we shifted fan enthusiasm to visiting teams getting injured)

Also the Phillie Phanatic in 1978, there’s a special place in our hearts for goofy fucked-up sports monsters.

* well and cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, and scrapple