The fans who booed Santa: Setting the Record Straight

[sportndandy]

On Dec. 15 1968 the fans of the Philadelphia Eagles booed Santa Claus, a crime for which they have never been forgiven. Let me take you back to that fateful day...

The final game of the 1968 season and the Eagles were playing the Vikings. The Eagles were 2-11, following their two game winning streak. It had snowed the previous day and night, and the stadium had not been cleared of snow. You can start imagining some disgruntled fans arriving in the stadium for a meaningless game only to be confronted with the task of clearing snow off their own seat.

Later in the game, the half-time x-mas celebration was becoming a disaster. First, the field was turning to mud and the floats were stuck. Second, Santa had failed to show.

The Eagles management located a fan who had worn a Santa suit to the game. Despite the fact that the suit was ill-fitting and the fan was a few sheets to the wind, the Eagles were desperate. A star was born! Frank Olivo agreed to fill in for Santa.

As this thin drunken Santa in bad attire ran down the field, the Eagle fans did the only thing they could do - they booed! But they weren't booing Santa! They were booing a shitty Eagles organization that had handed them bad coaching, bad talent, a bad record, poor conditions to watch the game and to top it all off - a cheapass imitation Santa!

Yes Santa was pelted with snow balls, but to hear Frank Olivo tell it, it was nothing but fun:

"When the booing started, at first I was scared because it was so loud. But then I figured, hey, it was just good-natured teasing. I'm a Philadelphia fan, I knew what was what. I thought it was funny." As far as the snowballs were concerned: "I didn't mind. I started kibitzing with some of the people throwing the snowballs."

Now you know the real story. So the next time you hear the main stream media refer to Philly as the town that booed santa, remember that it is just part of their hateful agenda.

Go Eagles!

[meegbear]

1. Never heard about this ...

but since I'm a Patriots fan, got some new fodder. I mean, how could that city BOO SANTA?!?

[sportndandy]

2. No surprise

I wouldn't expect a patriots fan to have much sense of NFL history...

:evilgrin:

[meegbear]

4. Ehhhh - Santa Hater!

:hi:

[HuckleB]

5. NFL history?

Yeah, sure, you betcha.

:silly:

[mseltzer]

11. GO

EAGLES!(Fly Eagles Fly)

[HuckleB]

3. It's a strange country...

that turns entertainment into something so personal, so clique vs. clique.

Besides, there's only one way to cheer Bad Santa, and that is to boo.

:headbang:

[sportndandy]

6. Sports is the opiate of the masses

It distracts us from more important but less exciting things. It divides us...

But it also unites us. I wouldn't have much to say to most people I know, but I can find common ground with most people in sports. I may not agree with what a patriot fan says, but I will fight to the death for his right to say it. Then my team is gonna kick his teams ass.

[HuckleB]

8. Oh, I understand all that.

But it's still bizarre that many fans now know more about Eagles fans booing Santa in 1968 than they do about, oh, say the election of 1968. Now I'm no better than anyone else. Believe me. I know far more anecdotes about Lou Gehrig, Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays than I do about George Washington, Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. I'm just as "strange" as most of the rest of us.

:hi:

[mseltzer]

9. Sports rivalries,

and local fans' allegiances, are hardly unique to this country. We are pretty tame compared to others.(See European soccer.)

[HuckleB]

10. Yes.

However, it's on the increase here, in a bizarre way. Raiders fans didn't bring up the 1968 Santa Affair back in '81, or whatever year the Eagles got pounded by them.

[mseltzer]

12. Sorry to

correct you, but I was at that Superbowl, and Raider fans did bring it up, all over New Orleans. And Giant fans and Redskin fans and Cowboy fans, etc. have been bringing it up for years.

[HuckleB]

14. If you say so...

[sportndandy]

20. Watch an Eagles season - It gets brought up almost every week!

"What can you expect from the fans who booed Santa" until my head is going to explode. Fuck you Chris Collinsworth!

Here's a good side-bet: which commentator will mention Santa first, and what part of the telecast will it come in?

[depakid]

7. Thank you for that

I think it says a lot- and just about sports. ;)

[Caution]

13. Can you set the record straight about the courthouse too?

The belief that Patriots fans are johnny come latelys who have no clue about the history of the league is laughable. There are just as many Philly fans who know nothing about the Eagles pre-Donovan McNabb.

Sports fans in New England are widely known for being among the most knowledgable in the country regardless of the sport.

I've been following the Patriots since I was 5 years old and my parents attended Patriots games at Fenway Park, Harvard Stadium, BU and BC. I've literally watched hundreds of football games in my time and listened to the Patriots on the radio in those dark times when due to the stupid NFL rule that disallowed showing a team's games on TV unless it was a sellout. The Patriots were once a terrible team and we suffered through that time for over 40 years but finally reached the promised land.

Heck you've been suffering as long as far as football goes but you'll just have to get used to it. Maybe some time in the future when McNabb is starting to get the reputation of a John Elway he'll find his Terrell Davis and win it all. But it ain't gonna be this year.

Go Pats!

[HuckleB]

15. If this is what passes for "sports knowledge,"

then sports fans everywhere are in need of a few history books.

[Caution]

16. Honest question: What the hell are you talking about?

In what way was my post an attempt to actually show sports knowledge other than to defend Patriots fans against the slander that we know nothing of the history of the NFL? The point was that Patriots fans are just as passionate about their team as Philly fans are and are just as passionate about the sport as well.

I wasn't making any attempt to write a dissertation on the history of the league or anything. Please explain to me what your post means...

[HuckleB]

17. This thread is about Eagle fans booing a Bad Santa in 1968.

That's not exactly grand sports knowledge.

[sportndandy]

19. Sports knowledge sports trivia - whats the difference?

:evilgrin:

[sportndandy]

18. Hey caution, that crack about no sense of history

was just a wisecrack. Nothing I say is intended to be personal to you or any other patriot fans. I am sure you have a deep sense of football history. I was an Eagle fan back in the Dick Vermeil days, my heart broke in Super Bowl 13, I was blacked out of homegames tie-breakered out of playoff spots.

I just wanted to defend my fellow Eagles fans from one of the media jabs that I keep hearing from the know-nothings on TV "well what do you expect from the fans who booed Santa?" I am tired of hearing it, and I thought the true story made a good read.

It will be an honor to defeat such a great team as the Patriots. Go Eagles!

[Caution]

21. Woohoo no offense taken then

Wow, what a shock a dem who can apologize even if the slight was unintended...i guess that would make our president a....republican...dammit how did that happen again?

[Arkana]

26. I've watched the Patriots since the beginning of the Bledsoe era

back when Kevin Turner and Vincent Brisby played for them. There have been years when they've been REALLY bad, like the Pete Carroll years. They could have killed him, propped him up on the bench with pillows, and no one would have known the difference. The team was just so bad.

[KitchenWitch]

22. Thanks for the story

I knew there had to be more to it than our *lovely* media makes of it!

[DaveinMD]

23. there is lots more to defend

what about the need of the city to set up a court below the stadium to arraign all the fans who get arrested. No other city needs to do that. The police run sting operations. They simply dress in the jersey of opposing teams knowing Eagle fans will physically attack those fans. There were numerous articles after the Vikings game of fans attacking the family of Vikings players. Eagles fans should be ashamed.

[GalleryGod]

25. No. Burtonsville. Now that's A Shame.

Give it a rest, Yankee fan-from-Maryland.:hurts:

[sniffa]

24. santa cLaus aLso got

choke sLammed in phiLLy (to the deLight of the audience).

ECW! ECW! ECW! ECW!