Never Got Over the Quitting

What has happened to us, the collective Philadelphia fan base?  When did we lose our integrity?  When did we become sellouts?

I’m glad Desean Jackson is no longer a Philadelphia Eagle.  That has nothing to do with the alleged gang associations.  It has everything to do with him representing everything that is wrong with some of today’s athletes.

Philadelphia hasn’t won a Super Bowl.  This is true.  This is also frustrating.  I have personally witnessed Stanley Cups, World Series, NBA Championships, but not that ever elusive Lombardi trophy.  Knowing that our friends in New York, DC, Boston and Dallas have won multiple doesn’t make things any easier.  Making things worse is that our little, red-neck brother across the state has six Lombardi trophies. But, are we at a point where we need to sell-out and win at all costs?

Philadelphia is a town that didn’t take kindly to Ricky Watters’ “for who for what” comment.  And Todd Pinkston’s alligator arms were never quite forgiven.  A large part of Philadelphia sports fans constantly  rail against Jimmy Rollins, who occasionally doesn’t run full speed down to first base on balls that are routine outs ninety-nine percent of the time.  Yet, the town is in an uproar that Desean Jackson was released.

The Desean Jackson that has allegedly been missing meetings?  The Desean Jackson who needed to let the world know that he thought he was underpaid the day after a playoff loss, even though he was the highest paid player on the team?  The Desean Jackson who admitted to taking off a year to avoid injury in a contract year?  Yup, that’s the Desean Jackson that people wanted on the Philadelphia Eagles because he might be able to help them inch closer to the coveted Lombardi trophy.

I can’t get past the quitting on the team for the entire year.  One play, sure.  One game, maybe.  But, definitely not an entire season.  I have zero interest in cheering for anyone who would admittedly quit on his teammates.  I would rather lose without him than win with him.  That is how I was taught by my grandfather, my father, my uncle and my older cousins.  That’s what I learned in Juniata Park.

Now, we appear to be a city willing to sell-out for Super Bowl.   A sell-out worse than Green Day going on Broadway.  I’ve heard the criticism that Cole Hamels quit on his team after the World Series.  He did get fat on the banquet circuit AFTER winning a World Series and World Series MVP.  And, he didn’t intentionally get lazy.  He ended up getting caught up in the success.  That’s a far cry from deciding to quit on the city and team.

Then there’s Riley Cooper.  A lot of people have complained that the Eagles have kept Cooper and his embarrassing antics and not Desean.  Riley Cooper was an asshole.  He might still be, however, he’s been a model teammate since his moment of racist stupidity.  That was one isolated incident, albeit a hideous incident.

People can say Terrell Owens was a head-case.  And, that he was an ego driven player as are most big-time wide receivers.  However, Owens was a gamer.  He always gave it on the field.

I don’t care about the gang friends or the record label.  I care that he quit on us.  That’s why I’m fine with the Eagles release of Desean.  Hopefully, it’s a wakeup call similar to that of Chris Carter and he’ll excel to his maximum potential.  He just wasn’t going to reach that potential in Philadelphia.