Allow me to preface this post by saying that this is nothing against Matt Adams. I have written about him before and I have been following his rise to the majors for quite some time now. I think it is awesome that someone from my hometown has had success in the MLB. With that being said, I need to rant a little bit about the recent parade held for Adams in Philipsburg.
I find the whole parade a little ridiculous. They are holding this parade over Veteran’s Day weekend. I think it would be better to have a parade honoring vets. If they want to do something with Adams, why not have something at the YMCA where he can sign autographs or something. Maybe ask him to do some kind of talk at the schools. I think that would be nice.
One of the things people said was how the town held a small parade for Jon Condo. That is true. Philipsburg did hold a parade for Condo, but not because he was a professional football player. They held the parade for him when he was in high school and won the state wrestling title. It was not really a parade, more like a welcome home convoy down a few streets (hell, I think they just lined the street he lived on and cheered when he came home, but I could be wrong).
Towns hold parades for high school sports teams all the time. That is not that uncommon. However, it is a little weird to hold a parade for a professional athlete because he played in the World Series. I could understand holding a parade for him when he retires because he did great things for the town and the sport. I am sure Arnold Palmer has had a parade for him.
I highly doubt that Johnstown held a parade for LaRod Stephens-Howling. Maybe Hollsopple held one for Jeff Hostetler. Should Lampeter celebrate Jeff Bianchi Day if the Brewers make the World Series? Although, Ehrenfeld should definitely celebrate a Charles Bronson Festival every year. That would be awesome.
The other problem I have with this parade is the way we treat professional athletes in this country. Or celebrities in general. People complain about how they behave and how they have a sense of entitlement, but where do you think that comes from? As a culture we celebrate celebrities and never take the time to honor the people who really make a difference in our society.
