My Introduction to Sports
Sports have always been a dominant part of my life. Growing up, I played just about every sport under the sun and would always watch any games that were on TV with my dad. Baseball is without a doubt my favorite sport, and I was lucky enough to play Varsity softball during my time in high school. Being from New York City, the bar had always been set pretty high for me as I truly do think that we have some of the best franchises across all sports.
Finding Comfort in Football
I always knew that I wanted to leave New York and go out of state when it came time for me to go to college. When I thought about leaving for school, I always thought that I would go to a big sports school because of my culture. From a young age, sports have always made me feel safe, so I had always envisioned myself going to a school primarily known for their sports and that sort of culture. For some reason, schools such as Florida State and Penn State were always on my mind. These are schools that when you hear them mentioned, your mind goes straight to sports. Never in my life did I envision myself going to school in another city, let alone the city of Philadelphia!
Before I even understood the game of football, I would always be in the living room with my dad watching just about every college game that was playing at the time. When I first came to Temple University as a freshman, I struggled a bit at first adapting to the new environment. I felt out of place and was doing everything I could to feel like I belonged here. This is when I started going to Temple Football games at the Lincoln Financial Field. I went to almost every home game that year, and really started to find my place at Temple. Even though Temple lost more games than they won, I started to feel more at home going to these games and being around fellow students who loved sports. This experience was not like the sports experiences I had grown up with, but I found myself appreciating it. This was the first time that I really began enjoying this new chapter of my life.
Temple University may not be the biggest sports school, but when it comes to one of the most loyal and devoted fan bases, the city of Philadelphia lands on top in my opinion. Having gone to school in this city for the past three years, one of the first things that comes to mind when I think about the city of Philadelphia is sports and the fans.
Philly fans really are the definition of ride or die. They are the epitome of the saying, “no one likes us, we don’t care.” As an outsider, for years I had seen the Philadelphia Phillies miss out on the post season prior to 2022 and even though VISIBLY upset, fans had always remained devoted and loyal. As a New York sports fan in recent years, I have dealt with my fair share of disappointment, but Philly fans are truly in a league of their own when it comes to that. Being present for some monumental events in Philadelphia sports history the past two years have truly allowed me to get a better sense of the people that make up this city, and feel closer to both Temple and the city of Philadelphia as a whole.
New York City Roots
Growing up in New York City, I feel that I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by sports my whole life. Sports teams in New York have always been kind of thrown in your face everywhere you look. New York City is the only city that I can think of that has two sports teams for every major league sport. From a historical standpoint, we have some of the best franchises across all sports, even if we have not had a major sports championship win in quite some time.
I actually grew up in a divided household when it comes to baseball. My dad on one hand had grown up being a lifelong Yankees fan, whereas my mom would do anything for her Mets. Luckily I sided with the right team, and have been a Yankees fan for as long as I can remember. I have certainly met some crazy New York sports fans over the course of my life, but nothing would have prepared me for the culture shock that I would receive, when I came to Philadelphia for college. I want to preface this by saying that I will be a New York sports fan until the day I die, but since coming to Philadelphia in 2021 and going to school here the past few years, I have been able to really open up my eyes and embrace other sports cultures.
Eye Opening Experiences in the City of Brotherly Love
Being in the city of Philadelphia when the Phillies went to the World Series in 2022 and the Eagles went to the Super Bowl in 2023 was something I never thought I would experience. The city of Philadelphia was electric. Even though both teams unfortunately lost their respective championships, it was amazing to see the city come together as one. Being out and about on Temple’s campus specifically, allowed me to gain a new sense of community and perspective on this city and environment, watching all students come together to root for this city’s teams.
I’ll never forget where I was when the Phillies made it to the World Series back in 2022. I was in my old sophomore year apartment watching the game with one of my friends in my room on my laptop, just thinking that there was no way that the Phillies would actually win. To my surprise, they did just that. I remember staring at my screen in absolute disbelief and even a sense of pride that I had started to adopt since being here. I remember walking out of my apartment towards campus and seeing dozens of students making their way down to city hall. Groups were either running to catch the Septa before it closed on Cecil B. Moore Ave, or decided to just walk all the way to city hall straight down Broad street. This was the first time that I had ever seen someone climb a light pole in person.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and the Phillies ultimately lost to the Astros that year. However, during their whole playoff run, I seriously had never seen people so happy just to be in Philly and walking around campus. Some of my professors at the time had even mentioned that crime had managed to decrease for a bit in the city! “Dancing On My Own” by Calum Scott seemed to become a city anthem here. I started to feel much closer to both Temple and the city of Philadelphia during this exciting period of time.
Nothing in my life could have prepared me for what it would be like to be in the city of Philadelphia when the Eagles made it to the Super Bowl in 2023. Even though Temple has not been known for their football team in recent years, since coming here, I have gotten much more into the sport in general. The New York Giants will always be my number one team and I hate to admit this, but during the 2022 NFL season, I certainly paid much more attention to the Philadelphia Eagles. The day the Eagles made it to the Super Bowl in 2023 was another day that I will never forget. Unfortunately, I had missed out on all of the fun going down to city hall this time around because I was in the middle of recruitment for my sorority. However, one of the first things I did after finding out the Eagles would be in the Super Bowl, was get an Eagles jersey. I wish I was kidding when I say that my dad, a season ticket holder for the New York Giants for nearly 30 years, was furious about this. I had jokingly sent my family a selfie in the jersey the morning of the Super Bowl and my dad told me to not come home for spring break if I still had it.
Going out around campus for the Super Bowl to this day is one of my favorite memories as a Temple Student. I had gone to a block party off campus and it seemed as if every single Temple student was there. Packed like a bunch of sardines, my friends and I and the rest of the student body all celebrated the fact that “our” team made it to the championship game. I include myself in that statement, because for the first time since coming here, I finally felt like I could call the city of Philadelphia my home. It seemed as if there was not a single care in the world and everybody, whether or not you are a major sports fan, was happy to be there and even more happy to be rooting for teams in Philly that have always been looked at as the “underdog.”
The Eagles loss was a tough one for sure. I remember being at a friend’s house and looking across the room at a guy I didn’t know, and he just started crying. This was the first time I had ever seen someone cry over a team in person. That’s when it hit me. The loyalty that Philadelphians have for their sports teams is quite inspiring and something to look up to. This fanbase truly is ride or die. The fans feel all the highs and even the lows that the players experience.
Both the World Series and Super Bowl runs were ones that I have not been able to witness since my New York sports teams have not come close to a championship win in several years. Never in my life growing up in New York would I ever have thought that sports fans do all of this. I really do think some of this is just a Philly thing, which makes sports culture here even more fascinating. I have met so many people here who have no clue how any sports even work, yet they will always support any team in Philadelphia. To me, this speaks volumes about the people in this city and the love they have for it.
Feeling an Everlasting Connection
Earlier I had mentioned that I grew up in a house divided. Unfortunately, my mom is a die hard Mets fan. I’ll be honest, I’ve been quite scared in the past telling people who are Phillies fans that my mom loves her Mets. Before coming to Temple and being in Philly, I really did not know much about the sports culture here at all. Truthfully, I just knew that they had somewhat of a bad reputation and were a bit hot headed towards other teams and fanbases.
Growing up, my mom used to tell me how her and my aunt would travel to Philly when the Mets played the Phillies. My mom would always say that the Phillies fans absolutely HATED them. My mom and aunt had both mentioned how scared they were when they would get on public transportation here because they would be in their Mets gear while heading to the old Veterans Stadium. Needless to say, based on these stories, I too was a bit scared when I first came here for school. I really did not know what to expect at all when I first came here.
Sports have always made me feel safe. When I first came to Temple, I found myself struggling to feel connected and feel at home in my new environment. Embracing the Philadelphia sports culture has opened my eyes to how wonderful this city truly is. I will always be a New York City girl at heart, but I truly have found my home away from home while being at Temple. I have a newfound respect for this place as well as a sense of community and longing. When I think of Philadelphia, I think of happiness, love, and a whole lot of sports!