The Alec Bohm Story is the Perfect Example of How the Philadelphia Fan and Player Relationship is Supposed to Work
One day after saying “I fucking hate this place” and then apologizing, Alec Bohm was given a standing ovation by what appeared to be a rather large portion of Phillies fans at Citizens Bank Park:
Phillies fans are the worst. This is disgusting. pic.twitter.com/1ok6lrkZo0
— Crossing Broad (@CrossingBroad) April 13, 2022
Will the fake news national media be reporting on this? Maybe, though it doesn’t fit the “narrative” of Philadelphia sports fans being uncouth and boorish slobs who treat local athletes like circus animals.
We’ve been over this a million times before, but the fan/player relationship in Philadelphia isn’t complicated. It’s actually quite linear. The only thing required of athletes playing here is that you give your best effort, work to improve, and take accountability. When you play poorly, the fans will let you know. And then when you play well, they will also let you know. It’s ride or die on a spectrum with two ends that are much further apart than the sporting spectrums on which irrelevant teams like the Arizona Coyotes exist. When Philly is high on you, it’s an extreme high. And when Philly is low on you, it’s an extreme low. Peaks and valleys on the fandom curve.
In this case, the Bohm situation presents the perfect template for how these things should work:
- player struggles and hears it from the crowd
- player says something negative
- player then apologizes for saying it
- crowd comes back around and shows support for player, because he or she took accountability and owned it
It’s really that simple. Philly fans have a lot of respect for Bohm now because of the way he handled himself. He said he was sorry and was humble in his response. Doc Rivers, meantime, thinks we’re all insignificant worms in the presence of an omnipotent basketball God. He could learn a thing or two from a kid who is 35 years younger.
Speaking of basketball, the Bohm thing is similar to what Tobias Harris experienced this year. “I fucking hate this place” is the same as “don’t fucking clap,” and when called on it, Harris admitted he was frustrated with his own play while understanding the fan criticism at the same time. Remember, “nobody died,” he just got booed.
Such is the Philadelphia fan and player cycle of life. We’ll be looking for coverage of this story from the fake news national media, but not holding our breath.
"Hats off to the city of Philadelphia for having their player's back like that. Was incredible."
Nick Castellanos was pretty impressed with the fans' standing ovation for Alec Bohm tonight. pic.twitter.com/5GCOUjLRN1
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 13, 2022