Having said that, Campaign Cheer, which is being picked up everywhere from Deadspin to The700Level and beyond, is just an incredibly stupid, asinine idea. Basically, what this whole concept is saying, is that Jimmy Rollins is right. Fans shouldn't boo. It makes the team play bad. Cheering makes them play better.
Have you ever been to New York or Boston? Those fans boo just as much, if not more, than Philadelphia fans, and last time I checked, the franchises in those two cities have won a hell of a lot of championships. When a team is playing bad, or a player just flat-out is bad, the team or that player deserves to get booed. When they do something good, they deserve to get cheered. That's exactly what fans do in Philadelphia, and that's what fans are supposed to do. To state otherwise is just ridiculous.
Get rid of the boo-birds? Really, that's what you want to do? You want Philadelphia to actually become St. Louis? How about just moving to St. Louis instead of asking people to change who they are? Don't force your beliefs on me. Shit, this idea isn't even WSBGMs' idea. It's Jimmy fucking Rollins' idea. He's the one who said the fans shouldn't boo. They should cheer. It's unoriginal.
I don't know about you, but I'm not going to let a prima-donna athlete, one that has been unconditionally supported since his arrival in Philadelphia, dictate how I'm supposed to act just because he's having a shitty year and putting forth the worst effort of his career. At one point, the Phillies were 13 games above .500. Now, they are in second place and playing inconsistent, losing baseball. Of course the boos have come, and rightfully so.
But shit, have you been to a Phils game this year? It's not like the fans have been raining down the boos on the team this year. In fact, they rarely boo unless something bad happens, like a rally-killing double play or an error or Adam Eaton taking the mound. If you can't take getting booed when you make a mistake, then you shouldn't accept the cheers when you do something well. Simple as that. The players get paid a shitload of money to take the good with the bad. And, oh by the way, the fans are the ones paying those exorbitant salaries.
Personally, Campaign Cheer is about as anti-Philadelphia as it gets. Not because we must boo. Shit, I don't even boo that much to be honest with you. But there are times where it's called for, and there certainly shouldn't be unconditional cheering just because booing makes the players feel bad. Tough shit. Missing a deadline at work makes me feel bad, but I don't cry about it. Players and teams earn their cheers in this city and earn their boos. That's the way it is, and that's the way it should be. You get what you earn, just like any walk in life.
I understand the idea behind Campaign Cheer. I really do. And you know what, it's fucking stupid. Instead, I propose everyone heads on down to the ballpark, pay for you seats, enjoy the game, and act appropriately. When the Phils fuck up, boo like there's not tomorrow. When Ryan Howard hits a home run, cheer like we just won the World Series. But don't be a follower, conforming to a stupid campaign or the words of a spoiled All-Star simply because it's what they want. That's cowardly. If people can't accept the fans for who they are, that's there problem. Not the fans. Don't change because someone else tells you you should.
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