The Philly Shrug is a term that was invented by Daily News columnist Helen Ubiñas to describe the average Philadelphian’s “whaddya-gonna-do” attitude toward so many of the city’s endemic problems – the notion that this is just how it is. Although it was coined to describe and explain the public’s desensitization to things like crime, litter and political corruption, this blase attitude has largely extended to the city’s famously intense support of its sports teams, which has at times boiled over into the boorish, outrageous and ugly.
Yes, some of the incidents have been overblown in the American sporting lore. Most locals bristle at a national broadcaster’s umpteenth mention of Eagles fans throwing snowballs at Santa Claus during the half-time Christmas parade at a 1968 game. But, uh, we did throw batteries at JD Drew on his first trip to Philadelphia after his refusal to sign with the Phillies. We did cheer Michael Irvin’s temporary paralysis as he was carted off with a career-ending spinal cord injury. Yes, there was a courtroom built into the bowels of Veterans Stadium to more efficiently process rowdy fans at Eagles games. One of us did, in fact, stick his finger down his own throat to intentionally vomit on an opposing fan and his 11-year-old daughter.
