Philly has gone completely nuts since the Bryce Harper signing, with their words and wallets. It's clearly the honeymoon phase and it will be interesting to see how long it lasts. Philly fans have the national reputation of booers, but this town is so deeply behind Harper right now that it just doesn't seem like he'll hear that reception with a slow start to the season. Fans are all-in and will be until they have a reason not to be.
There are several ways Phillies fans have already shown their support. Comments sections and social media has been filled with positivity, the degree of which has even surprised the Phils' front office. It's rare to see such a large portion of the fanbase verbally backing the GM and ownership, admitting they were wrong in their assessments of Matt Klentak and even Harper himself.
As you'll see in the video above, the Phils have already made history in the four days since Harper said yes.
• According to the sports apparel company Fanatics, more Harper jerseys were sold in the 24 hours after launch than ever for any player in any sport. There is such a backlog of orders for Harper jerseys that some are receiving receipts that say the order will ship by May 31.
• The Phillies have sold upwards of 220,000 tickets since last Thursday. Factor in parking and concessions and you're looking at about $10 million. Not that the financial aspect was even close to John Middleton's main concern.
• Flights from Philadelphia to Tampa, which is the closest major airport to Clearwater, have risen significantly price. As of last Wednesday, an American Airlines flight from Philly to Tampa for this upcoming weekend was around $350, compared to nearly $700 now. That will continue to rise with Harper potentially making his spring debut as the Phils' DH on Saturday.
