Tales of Interest: What Does the Youth of America and Baseball Have in Common?

Alright! Part two of my research on baseball fans as a youth subculture, enjoy!

So what did I see in this youth subculture? Deep within the “friendly” confines of Citizen’s Bank Park in South Philadelphia, one very brave, yet foolish person screams at the top of his lungs: “LET’S GO RAYS!!!” during Game 4 of the World Series.

The Philadelphia Phillies fans surrounding him glared at him menacingly and started to chant: “Let’s GO PHILLIES!!!” It was then that I realized that these people (however drunk, but, we’ll cover that later) were just the sort of people that I was looking for: passionate, foolhardy, brash, zealous, fanatical and fervent believers in their team.

So… during my time out in the field, researching baseball as a youth subculture I was at or located at Citizen’s Bank Park, which is home to Philadelphia’s baseball team, The Philadelphia Phillies. As I was observing the fans (while observing the game), I overheard one fan talking to another fan. The exchange of dialogue is below:

"Fan 1: So how’s it going?

Fan 2: Good and you?

Fan1: Ah, you know… the usual

Fan 2: Good. So what’s in store for us today?

Fan 1: The usual. Fanatically watching them fightin’s win, drinking and partying at McFadden’s after the game.

Fan 2: Sounds like a plan."

I derived the nickname for these fans, from this conversation and many other just like it. These fans like to call themselves: “Phanatics” (that’s right “Phanatics” with a “Ph”). These fans fervently watch and follow their team everywhere they go.

Some of these “Phanatics” live close to the stadium; others live far away from the stadium, like one “Phanatic” I talked to.

He told me that he lived in Vermont and traveled down for the last game of the regular season. Another Phanatic told me that he lived six blocks away from the stadium on Broad Street in South Philly.

On a lighter side of the field research, the fans call themselves “Phanatics” because the name of the mascot for the Phillies is known as the “Phillie Phanatic."

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