We’re all Flyers fans here, whether that be a conscious choice that we made or we were born that way. We have a shared lived experience that we are destined to pass down to future generations of Flyers fans.
There are more than a few BSH babies, and something I’ve been thinking a lot about is how exactly am I supposed to go about raising a Flyers fan? I don’t necessarily mean how do I make him like hockey and the Flyers specifically—he doesn’t have to like the things that I like or care about the things that I care about. But if he does, what does he need to know?
I’m thinking of this in a number of ways. First of all, is it even morally correct to force someone to live this life? And if it is, what is the emotional advice that one needs to consider when you’re learning how to be a Flyers fan? What is it like being a Flyers fan? What do you need to prepare for?
Then there’s the history aspect. What are the things that every Flyers fan needs to know about? The Stanley Cup wins, surely; Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent, of course; but what else? What are the names that you should know? What years or playoff series or individual performances are notable enough?
Then there’s the social portion of being a Flyers fan. What does it mean to be a Flyers fan in the world we live in? In the Philadelphia Metro Area? Outside of the area? What is it like to be a Flyers fan amongst other Flyers fans? Or amongst non-Flyers fans?
I’ve certainly got some of my own ideas, but I’m not the perfect fan. No one person is. But I’m hoping that all together we can aggregate something more concrete, fill in each others’ gaps, and try to answer an unanswerable question: How do you raise a Philadelphia Flyers fan?
Here’s a Google Form. If you’ve got answers to this question, fill it out and hit submit. If you don’t have answers to this question but have some guesses, fill it out and hit submit. If you don’t know or don’t care and just want a private avenue to tell me to fuck off, fill it out and hit submit. Maybe we’ll do something with the responses.
