Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner got the spirit-lifting of a lifetime on Friday night when Philly fans joined together to support him in the midst of a slump.
It all started when Turner, who signed a massive contract extension this past winter, blamed himself solely for a recent Phillies loss.
He’s not having the kind of season you’d hope for after landing such a major deal, but Phillies fans decided to do something positive to show their support for Turner despite it all.
Philadelphia fans were good to their word, and the whole stadium gave Turner a standing ovation during Friday night’s home stand against the Kansas City Royals to show that they’ve still got his back.
Philly's got ya, Trea đź‘Ź pic.twitter.com/KRIO03u8sN
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 4, 2023
A standing O for Trea Turner, and now a “Let’s go Turner” chant has broken out. pic.twitter.com/dB27UB1nHa
— Taryn Hatcher (@TarynNBCS) August 4, 2023
As you can guess, the standing ovation appears to have worked, at least for Friday night.
There we go!!
Turner makes this a one-run game đź‘Ź https://t.co/QfpxioxIYb pic.twitter.com/Jw0ntszjNh
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 5, 2023
I mean, this never happens in professional sports. Fans are usually the first ones to point out a player’s flaws, and occasionally do the exact wrong thing and voice those opinions on social media while they’re directed at the player’s username. It can get ugly sometimes, but this is the exact opposite of that.
However, Phillies fans took the high road and actually banned together to do something so meaningful that it might help Turner get back on track. That’s truly the kind of support that can actually make a positive difference.
This is just one of those cool moments that reminds you that fandom can be an incredibly positive thing when its energy is focused in the right direction.