PHILTHYDELPHIA, PA – Biochemistry has terrorist cells that claim lives every day while research works diligently for a cure. People fight cancer the same way soldiers fight terrorism and Jihadists, and for the most part, we’re all on the same side when fighting these enemies, right? Wrong. Not if you’re from The City Of Brotherly Loathe.
A few weeks ago, fans in Philadelphia stooped to a new low and proved otherwise at a Flyers game. The majority of the fans inside the Wells Fargo Center for that night’s hockey game booed a Public Service Announcement (PSA) by the NHL and its Hockey Fights Cancer campaign as it played on the jumbotron. The PSA features Ryan Miller, Jonathan Toews, and Sidney Crosby. Many columnists and bloggers gave the fans inside the Wells Fargo Center for that night’s hockey game a pass. I am not. Look, I’m no fan of Crosby but I am a fan of any crusade against cancer, and short of using Ahmadinejad, would never jeer the message. Apparently Philadelphia fans have not evolved since medieval times, when killing the messenger was an acceptable practice.
https://youtu.be/BykMXtiKxJ0
This city’s fan behavior has long been documented as some of the worst in the U.S. – if not the planet, which includes soccer hooligans. Of the three players, in-state rival Penguin Crosby is the only legitimate foe. It does little good to even try to figure out the reason for their irritation that night, and I don’t care to acknowledge the aftermath and fallout of their actions. So narrow-minded were the folks in attendance – who I’m certain know somebody afflicted or who has succumbed to the disease – that the “big picture” wasn’t big enough for these morons. I wonder what would happen if I showed up at Philly’s cancer hospital bedside of a Flyers fan with my Bruins jersey and booed the patients fight against cancer.
Maybe I’ve taken this whole thing too seriously, but when a talented doctor, with the help of technology, removes part of your voice box and all of your tongue as the result of cancer and you’re able to talk, drink a beer, and swallow solid food a relatively short time later, don’t tell me otherwise. It’s due to the charitable dollars of MLB’s “SU2C”, the NFL’s October-long attention to breast cancer, and the NHL’s equivalent for lymphoma and leukemia that enable research, technology, and doctors to catch up to the disease and prolong human life and the quality of its existence.
Cancer survivors are a very strong fraternity. Thinking of people like a friend’s mom, Angry Ward’s Dad, or my brother helps me and others carry on no matter how much we want to wave the white flag. The latest ignorance and indignant behavior in Philadelphia will similarly be turned into a positive for us all. While it’s yet one more reason to root against sports teams from Philadelphia, I’ll be waiting for the arrival of my Boston Bruins Fight Cancer T-Shirt in the mail. Get the same shirt for your favorite team at ShopNHL.com.
Enjoy the games today. Browns +8 ½ , Chargers -3 ½ (Mon.)
West Coast Craig, tomorrow. And get some people to this site! My kids need shoes.
