Philadelphia: A City in Need of Hope

Philadelphia is a city on edge.

Not more than two weeks ago, a Philadelphia Police Officer was gunned down while trying to serve his city. Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski was responding to a robbery call at a bank and was murdered by a trio of armed men. He was killed by an automatic weapon, just days before his 40th birthday.

Two days after the murder of one of the city's finest, several cops were caught on videotape beating three men mercilessly after the men were suspects in a shooting. A half-dozen cops were taken off the streets after it was determined they used excessive force when apprehending the suspects.

This used to be the City of Brotherly Love.

It's now being referred to as the City of Death.

As a city, we are teetering on the brink of a racial divide that could set us back years. We have cops being murdered, people being beaten on the streets. And hope is slowly being drained from our collective souls.

Philadelphia needs hope. Philadelphia needs something they can rally behind to give us optimism and strength. The city needs something they can call a winner.

Sports can be that rallying cry. Sports can be the place where the losing stops. Sports is the place to forget about your worries for 60 minutes, nine innings, or four quarters.

Philadelphians are well known for their antics in the stands. You have heard the stories of the fans booing Santa Clause, throwing batteries at J.D. Drew, and fighting with the Mets fans before, during, and after ballgames.

But what gets lost in all of this is the passion that the fans have for their teams.

Most times, the fanatics go beyond the level of support that is truly needed. Fighting is a silly way to validate your status as an admirer of a sports team. However, you can't say there isn't spiritedness within a Philadelphia sports fan. In no way do I condone the madness when it goes beyond what a fan should be, but in a way it has become what we are.

We are a city that struggles to find a balance in any aspect of life. Whether it be sports, the crime on the streets, the floundering school systems.

With all that is wrong with the city, this town is in dire need of that special team to get behind. Sadly, they come and go too fast.

For years, failure has been the only option. In 1993, the Philadelphia Phillies shocked everyone by getting to the World Series. They were a team of loveable losers, with long hair, dip in their cheek, and a drinking problem after the game. But we rallied around them.

In 1996, the Flyers made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in what was a brilliant playoffs for a team loaded with grinders and bad asses. They formed a Legion of Doom and had a goalie in Ron Hextall who would bow to no one. Sadly, they were swept and the fun was over seemingly before it began.

For four straight seasons in the early 2000's, the Eagles were a staple in the NFC Title game, even going to one Super Bowl in 2005. They were struck down before the mighty Patriots and have not been near the Lombardi Trophy since.

Just last season, the town united behind a Phillies squad that made an unreal comeback in the final weeks of the season, overtaking the Mets and making the playoffs for the first time in 14 seasons. As quick as it started, the Phils were gone, losing in a sweep at the hands of the Rockies, the eventual National League Champs.

The 76ers made an unlikely playoff run this year, as most thought they would be bound for the NBA Draft Lottery. They ran out of steam in the first round, but showed promise for perhaps a big run down the road.

This season, the Flyers made a complete turnaround by overcoming so many odds to appear in the Eastern Conference Finals, just a few steps from the Cup. Just when all seems right, a Cinderella story about to appear, an untimely injury strikes our team, and possibly ends our season. Star defenseman Kimmo Timonen will miss the remainder of the playoffs, most likely, after a blood clot formed in his leg. As I write this piece, the Flyers new lead defenseman, Braydon Coburn, gets hit in the face with a puck and has to leave the game.It's one of a laundry list of injuries and hardships that have plagued this town for decades.

Granted, sports have little to do with the sad events that have taken place the past few weeks in our city. Losing a loved father of three who was protecting us from the cretins that run the streets is a far greater loss than any game.

As unfortunate as the loss is, we look for solace in the thought that there can be something to cheer us up.

Sports are that factor. But in the City of Brotherly Love, sports have made us weep more than not.

What the town could use is an infusion of pride and triumph, something that has eluded this great city for so long.

In so many ways, we have been unable to prevail as a people. Our city is run with heinous, vile individuals who choose evil over good. Watching the Flyers beat the Penguins or the Phillies shock us all and win later this summer can help ease the torment and fill us with an exuberance that has been lacking for 20-plus years.

A Stanley Cup Finals victory or a Phillies World Series win can never bring back the departed whom we have lost in our city, Sgt. Liczbinski included. What it can do is make us forget about the bad and focus on the good.

Sports have a funny way of bringing people together, allowing a group of humans who do not know each other to form a harmonious bond.

Philly needs this. If one of Philadelphia's major sports teams can come up with an unlikely victory, it might be the rallying cry that can put us on the right track.

Never talk defeat. Use words like hope, belief, faith, victory.