On Philly fans
From "The Great Philadelphia Fan Book" -
Former 76ers general manager John Nash:
"I think the Philadelphia fan is more sophisticated than fans in other places. He's more knowledgeable about the games and less likely to swallow the pabulum fed to him by the teams. I don't see that as a bad thing."
Larry Bowa, former Phillie and Phillies coach:
"I would not have been as good a player as I became if I had not played in Philadelphia. They built my character. If you can understand the fans here, you become better for it."
Dick Vermeil (former Eagles coach):
"Oh, they're tough and judgemental and pretty darn vocal, but they're unbelieveably loyal. The local clubs are part of their family.
Sports isn't a social event in Philadelphia, it's religion. People go to games to vent their emotions. They go prepared to do battle. And if a coach doesn't do the job, they vent their emotions on him.
I've coached a lot of places, but nowhere else are fans so deeply immersed in every play of every game. They live from Sunday to Sunday, and the outcome of each game affects their lives all the way up until the next Sunday. Criminy, they boo because they care so darn much."
Former 76ers general manager John Nash:
"I think the Philadelphia fan is more sophisticated than fans in other places. He's more knowledgeable about the games and less likely to swallow the pabulum fed to him by the teams. I don't see that as a bad thing."
Larry Bowa, former Phillie and Phillies coach:
"I would not have been as good a player as I became if I had not played in Philadelphia. They built my character. If you can understand the fans here, you become better for it."
Dick Vermeil (former Eagles coach):
"Oh, they're tough and judgemental and pretty darn vocal, but they're unbelieveably loyal. The local clubs are part of their family.
Sports isn't a social event in Philadelphia, it's religion. People go to games to vent their emotions. They go prepared to do battle. And if a coach doesn't do the job, they vent their emotions on him.
I've coached a lot of places, but nowhere else are fans so deeply immersed in every play of every game. They live from Sunday to Sunday, and the outcome of each game affects their lives all the way up until the next Sunday. Criminy, they boo because they care so darn much."