Bliss? Yes. Badge of Honor? No.

By Jack Furlong

Founder/President/CEO

I was incredibly fortunate to attend the 2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia due to its proximity to my home.  It was an emotional evening:  for all the normal pomp and circumstance that I already love, the celebration of America’s 250th birthday touched me.
 
My better half (Boston fan) and I (New York fan) went representing our teams because it was the one time we were literal teammates.  After all, how many times do the Yankees and the Red Sox pull for the same goal?  The All-Star Game is the one time we undoubtedly pull for each other because we have a shared goal as we root for the American League (even in an exhibition).  At the worst, during introductions, if I didn’t feel comfortable clapping for a Red Sox player, I just stayed silent.
 
I wish I could say the same for those around me and those at the stadium.
 
The boos that were heard for anyone not in the favor of the home crowd were confusing at best and disappointing at worst.  So many Philadelphia fans took the time to express hatred to anyone who wasn’t a member of their team.  In fact, the only non-Philadelphia players who received cheers from these fans were those who were local products:  Mike Trout of the Angels (from Millville, New Jersey) and Kevin McGonigle of the Tigers (from Media, Pennsylvania) were lauded simply due to where they were raised, even though they wore the gray uniforms of the American League.
 
Meanwhile, the players on the National League roster who played for teams like the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, and Washington Nationals were destroyed by the fans, even though they were on the same team as the Phillies for the evening!  The Philadelphia fans would boo anyone from any team who ever wronged them.  St. Louis Cardinals?  You get booed because Jordan Walker defeated Kyle Schwarber in the Home Run Derby.  Arizona Diamondbacks?  You get booed because you beat the Phillies in 2023 to go to the World Series.  Pittsburgh Pirates?  You get booed because you share a state with the Phillies.  The list goes on.
 
It simply appeared that many fans present didn’t care about the game.  They attended for the spectacle and the opportunity to praise their hometown heroes for being selected to the game and to rip those who were not sharing that bond.
 
It didn’t end with the players, though.  Every team’s mascot was present and introduced.  Obviously, the Phanatic was introduced last and received the loudest applause.  But was it necessary to boo mascots from Seattle and Minnesota?
 
If a fan appeared on the stadium’s jumbo screen wearing any logo other than the Phillies, boos would fly (even if it was a kid).  However, what was ironic was that these negative reactions only happened when it was someone untouchable:  players on the field or people on the screen were subjected to the treatment, but a Yankees fan and a Red Sox fan passing a group of Phillies fans garnered no reaction.
 
Not a single Phillies fan around us would say a word to me or my girlfriend as we rooted for the American League.  Only once did I say something that I regretted, and it was only said to my girlfriend.  Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was shown as the National League’s leading vote-getter (and he wasn’t even present due to an injury), and he was booed.  My girlfriend turned to me and said, “Why are they booing him?  He’s such a fantastic player.”
 
“Because some of these fans are stupid,” I replied.
 
I think the only way I can say it is this way:  there are still a lot of fans who root blindly and ignorantly without understanding that there is potential for growth as a fan.  You can be a fan of a team and still respect the players on other teams at the same time.  But that fact is lost on a lot of people.  I recognize I’m casting a large net:  I’m sure that not every Philadelphia fan falls into this category, so I apologize if I group people into this who don’t belong there.  But there are also many Philadelphia fans with whom I’ve spoken (as well as fans of plenty of other teams) who wear this behavior like a badge of honor, claiming that negative behavior is actually how they show respect to people.  In my opinion, that’s the equivalent of slapping my girlfriend in the face and then telling her I did it because I love her.
 
It’s just sad to know that ignorance to common decency is still so rampant, like it’s an accepted badge of honor.