It’s always good for students to be given opportunities.

In 2019, the Philadelphia Inquirer is now taking story pitches from college students, editorials that can be submitted to [email protected] “for consideration.”

One of those submissions was accepted and published today, a story by Drexel junior Armon Owlia titled “It’s time to say thanks and farewell to the Phillie Phanatic | Opinion.” That’s a bold headline, but I can appreciate it, because it takes guts to tackle a taboo topic in a territorial city. What I mean is that it’s insane to criticize the Phillie Phanatic because people here are obsessed with that big green goofball.

Owlia’s premise is that the Phanatic has taken a back seat to Gritty over the past year or so, writing this:

..the legal scuffle brings up an interesting question: Is it time for Philadelphia to give up the Phanatic?

I say yes.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a massive Phanatic fan. Though a Pittsburgh native who supports the Pirates, I have always loved the Phanatic for his charm and sense of humor.

However, a new circumstance makes me realize that now, more than ever, Philadelphia can survive without the beloved green bird from the Galápagos Islands.

That circumstance is the Phanatic’s hockey counterpart, the mascot that has arguably taken over as the face of Philadelphia sports: Gritty.

Gotta call violation on the fact that a Pittsburgh guy is sharing opinions on the Phanatic. BUT – I think he’s right when he says that Gritty has taken over. Gritty has SURGED to the top while the Phanatic is currently taking a bit of a back seat.

More:

Over at the Flyers, Gritty has become a sign of revitalization and energy, his eyes staring with a level of intensity that can only be matched by a Philadelphia sports team. Plus, he shows a level of, well, grit that has always been a classic Philadelphia quality.

He’s even been adopted in meme culture and become a nationally recognized symbol for the city of Philadelphia, something the Phanatic has not achieved in a long time.

The Phillies should put the next steps to the fans: Create a citywide poll asking whether the Phanatic’s departure would cast too large a shadow for a replacement to overcome, meaning the Phillies should join the other MLB teams that are currently mascot-free.

That said, the Phanatic should not see a quick or a silent farewell, for he deserves far more respect.

We give a farewell parade, throw a final season bash, erect a statue outside Citizens Bank Park. Gritty can even sport a Phanatic patch on his Flyers jersey.

Saying goodbye to the Phanatic will not be easy, but it will be necessary. The Phanatic came in with fanfare, and he should leave in fanfare, knowing he made the city greater.

Well let’s not go crazy here. A “citywide poll” would conservatively result in about 99% of people being pro-Phanatic while 1% of haters disagree.

But anyway, people HATED this story. It got ratio’d on Twitter and 68 people left comments on the Inquirer website, comments from people like “Rowdy Roddy Pooper” who said “Stay in school, kid. Leave the grown-up talk to the adults.”

Reader Dhb added this:

“Go back to Pittsburgh millennial. You clearly have no clue about this fan base and its history with the Phanatic. He is not going anywhere.”

And Johncomara:

“i think you need a new major . you are so far removed from the pulse of this fan base you dont have the intuition to continue in communications”

So listen, Armon is getting a lot of backlash, but I gotta give the young man credit for coming out with a fireball of a take. In my mind, if you’re gonna do hot take “journalism,” you gotta come out fucking firing on all cylinders. You can’t half ass it; you’ve just gotta go for it and try to make a name for yourself, and that’s what Armon did here. It’s a formula that has worked in the past, i.e., “let’s just say some shit and see what happens,” so considering the contemporary climate of the sports media, Armon may actually be destined for greatness. There are plenty of hot take artists working full time sports jobs in Philly.

Time’s yours.