Often times, as Philadelphians, we have to face the music and accept the fact that we are currently experiencing one of the worst stretches in sports. Case in point: 2015.
Philadelphians don’t need to be reminded of this awful year in sports. Aside from the Flyers missing the NFL playoffs, it’s a time when the disgruntled Eagles fired head coach Chip Kelly, whose numerous offseason moves flopped like no other.
In addition, this calendar year was when the perpetually rebuilding 76ers wallowed in the cellar of the NBA standings with a dreadful 17-69 record. Like their next-door neighbors, the Phillies, also had the poorest win-loss card in the MLB with a measly 63-99.
With unfortunate events and terrible numbers, it’s probably safe to say that this era tests every diehard Philadelphia sports fan. From the Flyers and the Eagles, to the 76ers and the Phillies, it’s important to grasp how actually bad was ‘bad’. Let’s dive deep into the facts of the four major sports teams in the City of Brotherly Love.
For starters, let’s point out the proverbial elephant in the room. During the 2015 season, Philly’s professional clubs only won 37.5% of their total games, which ironically, is only the second-worst amongst US cities with major sports teams. However, before we “celebrate” at the “milestone” of not being the worst, why don’t we take a look at which city topped – or nosedived into the abyss.
The humiliating title of “worst sports year ever” belonged to – you’ve probably guessed it – Philadelphia no less. Way back in 1972, Philly’s teams were even more cheerless than they were last year. It was during this time when the 76ers finished an NBA-record of 9-73, and the Eagles went 2-11-1 in the NFL.
On the flipside, it’s still impressive how the Sixers, Eagles, Flyers, and, of course, Phillies fans handle the agony of watching their favorite sports teams lose night in and night out. If it were a different US city, say Oakland or Los Angeles or New York or Miami, then it would be a different story.
To a certain extent, Philadelphians embody the relationship between stress, effort, and attention. Based on an infographic by Pocketfruity centering on improving concentration and focus it states that drawing on continuous experiences (i.e. regularly watching teams lose), hassles and anxieties only demand little effort and working memory. In short, living in Philadelphia as a true sports fan, requires both short-term and long-term memory loss.
It doesn’t matter whether we’re loyal Flyers, Eagles, Sixers, or Phillies fanatics, and that we’re repetitively experiencing heartbreak, what matters the most is that we stick with our Philly teams through thick and thin. Philadelphians constantly prove that they are not 'Bandwagoners’ – we’re far from it, actually. At the end of the day, we’re bona fide sports fans who will always be part of, will endure, and will trust the process of this seemingly never-ending rebuilding no matter how hard it is.
