I have been a Flyers fan for as long as I can remember, through thick and thin. I have welcomed every new player, as I would family. That ended today, with the addition of a racist, homophobic player that I will not even name I am so sickened by the addition.
I took off a gold charm, the Flyers logo, that I have worn longer than I wore my wedding ring. As soon as this piece is finished, I will remove the Flyers flag that has hung at this home, and at every home I have occupied since I have lived on my own. (It will be replaced by my Kenny Chesney flag in case you are wondering)
I have supported this team through a lot; I stood by the team when they said they didn’t realize Kate Smith was a bigot; when they explained that her heyday was a different time. I continued to support this team as they made mis step after mis step as it concerned the LGBTQ community….they were trying, they apologized profusely.
It is not a “different” time. Racism, which I am told constantly is a thing of the past, is alive and thriving, as is homophobia. The Flyers have consistently done bare minimum to combat it on both fronts; I took my son to the game celebrating Willie O’Ree, and the effort was pitiful. The Pride month offerings of this team were also bare minimum, I believe a magnet was the only offering with a Flyers Pride logo. While I watched as my friends in the LGBTQ community were offended, it was closer to home where this finally drew blood. My ex husband, who is the father of my son, is African American, so obviously my son has African American heritage. While the marriage did not work out, the color of his skin was not even a tiny portion of the divorce, and I have watched terrible things done to him, and to my son, because of the color of their skin.
This player, again whom I will not name, has a long history of racist and homophobic behavior. He has been suspended numerous times for both. These incidents were not 50 years ago, they were quite recent, and I am sure that Flyers management was aware of them. To bring this player into the fold, to slap the faces of so many of your fans, I cannot fathom how tone deaf the Flyers management must actually be to sign this deal.
Perhaps this will cut through the noise: As long as this bigoted homophobe wears a Flyers crest, I will not. I am quite happily in love with an Avalanche fan, and it is our intention to attend the Avs game in Philadelphia in December of this year with our sons. One of our sons is, as above, African American, and one is bisexual. On behalf of both of our beautiful sons, as long as the racist, homophobe that was signed today wears a Flyers crest, no one in this household will wear that same logo.
I have loved this team for as long as I can remember, often times saying that the only love that was close was the love of my son. You messed with that love today, Flyers, and as it turns out, a mother’s love is indeed the strongest power known on this earth.
I will continue to love the game of hockey, and I will continue to write about it here. What I will not do, is ever spend one more penny on a team that brought a racist homophobe into the family.
By: Phyllis Ceci (@flyersfan1129)
brotherlypuck.com 