The Philadelphia Sports Curse

By mattfriedinNY
updated about 1 month ago

Philadelphia. A city that knows how to party and how to curse everything it believes in. Specifically, it's four major sports franchises. For over 100 collective seasons, Philadelphia sports teams have never brought home a championship. Now, you may be thinking "Hey, Fried - I'm a Cubs fan; cry me a river." Yeah, that's one sport, genius. What else does Chicago have? The Bulls and the Bears. Boston? Please; even before the Red Sox, the Patriots paved the way. Now, I have no sympathy for Beantown. Only Cleveland knows the same pain, and I think it's fair to say, the Cavs will one day do it. But in Philadelphia, it's been a no man's land since the 1983 Sixers captured the NBA Championship. Since then, each team has gotten only so close, before fate steps in and damns The City of Brotherly Love once more. With the Phillies riding high in the 2008 NLCS, perhaps it's time to take a look at what a World Series win could truly mean.

The 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers

Philly Soul has long been it’s own sound; funky, distinctive, and all about style. No Philadelphia team embodies that free-flowing excitement better than the 76ers. The 76ers were always a fierce team, but change came with the dissolution of the ABA in 1970s. Why? Because that was when “Dr.” Julius Erving entered the league with the New York Nets and arrived in Philadelphia after a trade in 1976. Erving and “The Skyhook” turned basketball from a sport into an aerodynamic event. But, alone, he couldn’t produce a championship. However in the 1982-83 season, the Sixers acquired Moses Malone, who took the reins with Erving, as they led the team to the flashiest, jaw-droppingly perfect championship ever. They captured the NBA Finals in eleven wins, losing only once in all three playoff series. After an 18 year absence, the Sixers returned to the Finals in 2001 to fall to the same team they once romped – the L.A. Lakers. Inbetween and since then, they have never made it past the Conference Finals.

Wachovia Center

Philadelphia, PA 19102

Home to The Sixers and The Flyers since 1996. Yet, “The Wach” (uh, right?) has never seen the glory as the Spectrum once did.

The 1960 Philadelphia Eagles

Without question, the lifeblood of Philadelphia sports is The Philadelphia Eagles. In this decade, the Eagles were named the most marketable franchise in all the NFL. Yet, they are the only team in the NFC East (and one of the few teams in the NFL) that have not won a Super Bowl. 1960 – before the Super Bowl even existed – was a different story. Coached by Buck Shaw and led by Norm Van Brocklin and Chuck Bednarik, The Eagles became the first, and only team, to defeat the Vince Lombardi-era Green Bay Packers in the playoffs. The victory was at Franklin Field, now home to the University of Pennsylvania Quakers. Bednarik is famous for laying a hit on Giants running back Frank Gifford that knocked him out of professional football for a year and a half. Since the glory days of ‘60, The Birds have had yet duplicate any major success. Two Super Bowl appearances in 1980 and 2005 only produced bitter defeats, not to mention several failed playoff runs, and three consecutive blow-outs in the NFC Championship Game from 2002-2004. Presently, The Eagles are 2-3 and QB Donovan McNabb’s future with the franchise is questionable. At almost 50 years since a championship season, The Philadelphia Eagles are the Red Sox of football.

Lincoln Financial Field

1020 Pattison Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19148

The home to The Eagles since 2003. Definitely an upgrade from the Cement Doughnut known as Veterans Stadium, the Linc’s luxury has yet to achieve a matching Lombardi trophy.

Philly fans: scary, or just passionate?

Philadelphia sports fans get a very bad rep for a few isolated incidents. Like, throwing batteries at Santa Claus. Tossing torching people’s cars. Starting brawls in the legendary 700 Level of The Vet. The bad press always gets into the news. But, you never hear the other side of the story: Philly fans are unquestionably dedicated to their teams. The Philly sports fan lives and dies by embittered seasons and high hopes. I’ve noticed that the sports press never goes after Cubs fans, Mets fans, Cleveland fans, or even Baltimore fans the way that Philly gets it. Once again, you try rooting for four teams that are the embodiment of unfulfilled potential. So, what does it all come down to? Why come back? Because, what else is there? What else puts the city on the national stage? And what else is something that generation can pass down to generation? Philly fans. Crazy and lovable as ever.

Curse reversed? Last night – after a 28 year drought and a 25 year franchise drought – Philadelphia has lived to see another championship. Obviously, the Phillies win is cause for a long overdue celebration. After this week though, the question now remains – what next? For the Phillies, the answer can now wait. The Eagles are 4-3, the Sixers opened their season at 0-1, and the 2008 Flyers wait in the wings. For now, though, the Phils are the true champs of the city.

The 1980 Philadelphia Phillies

The oldest of all the Philadelphia franchises also remains one of the most stalwart, at least in terms of an exclusive fan base. The Phillies have long been the red-headed stepchild of Philadelphia sports, often overshadowed by the more beloved Eagles. It’s no secret: Philly is a football town. But the Phils have had a storied franchise run. By 1980, they had won two pennants, but had yet to claim a World Series ring. 1980 was different though when, in Game 6, Tug McGraw struck out Kansas City’s Willie Wilson to clinch it. The Series was important, not only because it was the Phils first major league championship, but because both teams playing were titleless. Truly, a story worthy of Rocky. The Phillies would return to The World Series in 1983 and 1993 only to lose in heartbreaking fashion.

Jim's Steaks

400 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19147

Cheesesteaks and sympathy, that’s the best way to deal with a crushing loss in Philadelphia. Jim’s has always been my favorite. I remember when the Eagles wrapped up their 2005 season, you saw a line of fans – all in McNabb and Dawkins jerseys – that went around the block.

The 1973-74, 1974-75 Philadelphia Flyers

Back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships are extremely impressive for a club that, seven years before, was a fledgling expansion team. The Philadelphia Flyers own two consecutive championship runs that dominated the NHL with the fiercest, most brutal defense anyone has ever seen. Nobody has ever said that a Flyers championship was pretty, but they weren’t called “The Broad Street Brawlers” for nothing. The 1973 team boasted the strength of Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent, and smash-mouthed their way to The Cup. ‘74 was no different. How brutal was this team? In a 1976 exhibition game against the Soviet Union’s Central Red Army team, the Reds actually left the ice midway through the first period after a devastating hit to one of their teammates. The long-time working class team of Philadelphia, the Flyers have yet to return to any previous success. They have since made six more Stanley Cup appearances (as recent as the 1996-’97 season), but have seen no silver lining.