Phillies ‘Phandom’ is giving the Philadelphia region a much-needed boost

From Wild Card miracle to World Series: This Phillies team, with its rollercoaster regular season, was an improbable pick for the National League champions, and yet here we are.

The region is rooting for its home team against the Houston Astros in baseball’s big World Series dance. Older fans relive the 1980 and 2008 World Series runs. The younger ones are just enjoying the moment — red October, bell-ringing home runs, Schwarberfest, a champagne and beer celebration to “Dance by itself.”

It’s finally something to feel good about. Philly hasn’t felt this good since 2018, when the Eagles won the Super Bowl — also improbably turning a second-string quarterback into a hometown hero.

Truth be told, the city is plagued by horrific levels of crime and gun violence. The same Wawa stores that announced Schwarberfest recently closed two stores in the city because of crime. Sport does not change that.

But what it does do is change the mood of the city, amp it up, elevate it in the hands of the ever-likable Phanatic to a higher level—to a place where our team hits home runs, steals bases, and pitches.

Philly fans are not used to winning, and when they do, the joy is palpable. An incredible sense of wonder that pulls us in and allows us to believe, if only for a while, that we are at the top. It creates a unity that is much needed in our polarized times.

“The Phyllis family did more in one day to bring the town together in a time of great need than any other event I can think of,” said Joe Adams, an attorney in Chalfont, Bucks County. This was reported by columnist Mary Brown in The Main Line Times.

“It was so electrifying … every time the Phillies scored, everyone in my section would hug each other, even though we didn’t know each other. It was an experience I will never forget,” Luke Consalva told Brown.

And not only the mood rose. The local economy is booming. Bars and restaurants, many still recovering from the pandemic’s business impact, are packed with spending fans.

Stores are selling out of Phillies merchandise as fast as it arrives. Fanatics, a Conshohocken-based company that prints and distributes professional team merchandise, tweeted that the National League champions’ locker room jerseys had broken a sales record in the 24 hours since Sunday afternoon. win at Citizens Banks Park.

In the city and nearby suburbs, the impact on the hospitality industry is dramatic. Business leaders cite Houston statistics for 2021 that say hosting the three games has a $26 million impact on their local economy. Business leaders also note the long-term impact on the city’s image and positive reputational impact on employment, tourism and overall progress.

The names of the individual heroes of this team are engraved in our hearts, but the force that drives the euphoria is the team as a whole – their playing determination on the field and the joy of dancing by themselves in the locker room. .

These Phillies lifted us up when we needed it the most. We were pandemic-weary, political-weary and low-spirited.

Until now.

While these ballplayers, this team, which lost 14 games in September and seemed headed for another October disappointment, instead let loose and turned October red.

We’re all Phillies fans, all together with a championship banner and a ticket to the World Series, and that’s awesome.

Go Phyllis!