A good read from yesterday over at PhillyBurbs.com makes the argument that the longer Philadelphia's championship-less streak continues, the harder it will be to ever overcome.
Isn't the misery self-perpetuating, then? My theory — and Baron was inclined to agree with it — is that the longer Philadelphia goes without a championship, the more difficult it will be for each of its teams to win one. It's tough enough to find the sort of player who can thrive in Philadelphia as it is; as Baron put it, “How do you get someone who is passionate, emotionally tough and blue-collar when these guys are spoiled from the time they're 12 years old?” But as the streak lengthens, the pressure to win will increase, the fans' jadedness and discontent will grow, and the atmosphere will only become more noxious for the athletes.
So basically, the solution to the problem is to somehow magically find more Chase Utleys and Brian Dawkins while avoiding the Billy Wagners of the world. They make some good points, but I'm not buying into it completely. Maybe I'm just too naive to think athletes at the major league level have to have a passion to win and can't be too emotionally sensitive.
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I don't think you are going to see many Eagles fans serving up Grande Mochas anytime soon.