Booing in Philly? This time it’s Sanders supporters, not Flyers fans

PHILADELPHIA — Booing. Jeering. Shouting. Thousands of angry, aggrieved people. 

No, it wasn’t a Philadelphia Flyers game. It was the first day of the Democratic National Convention.

{mosads}The quadrennial party gathering is taking place inside the Wells Fargo Center, which sits in the shadow of the city’s baseball and football stadiums in South Philadelphia’s massive sports complex. 

The spirit of the city’s passionate, boisterous fan base appeared to rub off on the out-of-town delegates inside the arena. 

Almost immediately after the convention gaveled open Monday afternoon, the convention hall devolved into chaos. 

Sanders supporters arrived in the City of Brotherly Love in a salty mood after a Democratic National Committee email hack showed a handful of party staffers sought to undermine the Vermont senator’s upstart presidential bid. 

This weekend’s revelations forced longtime Sanders bogeyman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to step down as party chairwoman ahead of the convention. 

But the move did little to quell delegates who felt their candidate had been cheated by a party establishment they believed tipped the scales in favor of Hillary Clinton. 

Sanders backers interrupted the invocation just minutes after the convention started. 

A small, but vocal group of delegates booed when the Rev. Cynthia Hale mentioned Clinton’s name and erupted in chants of “Bernie!” that eventually overpowered cheers from Clinton backers. 

The interruption of the opening prayer immediately drew parallels to Philadelphia fans, who gained infamy in 1968 for booing Santa Claus. 

“People at the Wells Fargo Center are booing, and the media’s making a big deal about it? What else is new?” tweeted FakeWIPCaller, a Twitter account parodying the city’s sports die hards. 

People at the Wells Fargo Center are booing, and the media's making a big deal about it? What else is new?

— FakeWIPCaller (@FakeWIPCaller) July 25, 2016

Indeed, the comparisons between Philadelphia fans and Sanders backers run deep. 

While they were vastly outnumbered in the arena, Sanders fans remained passionate and committed to their (losing) cause. 

“Bernie basically fed us a bunch of Mountain Dew and now he wants us to go to bed,” Iowa delegate Chris Laursen told the Des Moines Register. “It’s not going to happen.”

Hardcore Bernie backers are refusing to support Clinton even though she clinched the Democratic nomination long ago, believing their candidate still has a better chance to defeat Republican nominee Donald Trump in November. 

Likewise, Philadelphia continues to have one of the most dedicated, loyal fan bases in sports, even though their four major franchises combined have won just one championship in the past 32 years.  

Just like Philadelphia fans, Sanders delegates are likely to tell you they get they get a bad rap for expressing themselves a brash manner. 

Several Sanders supporters were pictured with masking tape over their mouths with the slogan “Silenced by the DNC.” 

"Silence by DNC" #DNCinPHL pic.twitter.com/GnEuTPWaxK

— Independent Journal (@TheIJR) July 25, 2016

In 2011, former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell (D) penned a column blaming fans’ rowdy reputation on “a few isolated incidents of bad behavior” that have been “misconstrued by the national press.”

The irony, as The New York Times pointed out at the time, was that Rendell once bet a fan he couldn’t reach the field with a snowball during a Cowboys-Eagles game. He lost the bet. 

The delegates stuck with their protests, even when others told them that their behavior was out of line. 

Consecutive speakers after Hale were faced with audible boos beneath the cheers every time Clinton’s name was mentioned. 

Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) even cut off her speech to ask the room for respect. “We are Democrats, and we need to act like it,” she said. 

But Sanders backers paid little heed. More than two hours after the convention kicked off, Clinton campaign chairman Jon Podesta was met with a smattering of boos when he paid tribute to the passion of Sanders backers on stage.

Philadelphia fans also don’t like to be told to cut it out, even when they’re admonished by their own. 

In April, the Flyers were losing 4-1 to the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of the National Hockey League’s Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. 

A small group of fans who were unhappy with the officiating started to throw glowing wristbands handed out before the game onto the ice. The game was delayed and arena public-address announcer Lou Nolan pleaded with the fans to stop. 

“Show class,” he said. “This is Philadelphia, not somewhere else in the NHL.” 

Many Democrats have expressed concern that the ugliness on the convention’s opening night could threaten party unity and hurt Clinton’s campaign against Trump if it continues. 

On rare occasions, Philadelphia fans’ behavior has hurt their teams’ play. One of those times was the Flyers-Caps series. 

Minutes after Nolan scolded the crowd, more bracelets came down from the stands onto the ice. The Flyers were assessed a delay of game penalty and Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin scored on the power play to make the score 5-1.

The Caps went on to win the game, and the series. 

Hillary Clinton is hoping that the sport of politics doesn’t turn out like that hockey series.