It’s a reoccurring theme on our board.

Several times a year, members will post messages bemoaning the fact that the “townies” — the geezers — are so predominant at Flyers games, sitting in the premium areas, not showing the same animation and exuberance exhibited by the younger fans, leaving their seats to head for the doors before the games are over, and embarrassing other fans by becoming the target audience of Arena advertisers such as nursing homes.

Well, as the grandfather of 15 and the great-grandfather of four, I suppose I fall into the geezer category and, speaking on behalf of my brethren, I say it’s time we put our teeth in and our foot down.

After all, we geezers do have some redeeming qualities:

— For example, we don’t do illegal drugs. Then again, we really don’t have to. We get the same effect simply by getting out of a chair too fast.

— Most of us vote Republican.

— We won’t bore you by telling you how old we are. But we might ask you to say how old you THINK we are, then we¹ll proudly tell you how old we’ll be on our NEXT birthday.

— We know everything … can’t remember most of it, but we know it.

— When we itch, we¹re not ashamed to scratch.

— We’re still young enough to run for the U.S. Senate.

— And we wear cute shoes and hats.

Many of you complain that a disproportionate share of the lower arena seats are occupied by the geezers. Look at it from another viewpoint: Can you imagine how intimidating it must be for visiting teams to take the court at the Arena and see that they are surrounded by thousands of Andy Rooneys? Duke can have its Cameron Crazies; we have our Rabid Rooneys!

And what¹s with this criticism about the geezers sitting silently in their seats and showing no emotion during games? To address the silent- and no-emotion aspects, bear in mind that we geezers devote the entire offseason to shouting at the nightly TV newscasts, so I think we¹re entitled to remain placid while being entertained by the Flyers. As for the sitting-in-their-seats aspect, please see the earlier reference to illegal drugs.

Finally, do you really want to criticize the geezers for leaving the games early? I mean, come on, don’t you want them to be out of the building 10 to 15 minutes ahead of you, or would you rather be dodging their cars on the parking lot and on the streets after the game, all the while wondering if they really intended to keep that turn signal activated?

OK, enough of the satire. As Townie lamented in a recent post: Nothing like lumping an entire group together!

When it comes to UD basketball fans, I dare say there’s as much fire in the belly of the typical geezer as there is in that of the typical younger fan. The only problem here is in arriving at the definition of typical. I know people who have held season tickets since the Flyers played at the Fieldhouse, some who go all the way back to the first season in the Fieldhouse. If that’s what constitutes a typical geezer fan, then I’m not typical. I didn’t have the luxury of being able to buy season tickets in those days.

I’ve been a UD fan since about 1950 and went through my junior high and high school years listening to Flyers games on my bedside radio. Naturally, season tickets were out of the question for a kid. When I later married and began raising a family, season tickets for my beloved Flyers ranked pretty low on my list of spending priorities. Once my six kids were raised and out on their own, I found myself in a job that required me to work evenings — so I wasn’t able to even watch or listen to the games. It was only after retirement that I could latch onto my dream of season tickets.

My seats are in Section 411. That’s certainly not your typical geezer neighborhood. Fortunately, I’ve been moved a little lower each year and I’m now just three rows away from Section 311. I’m at every game, usually arriving an hour before game time and staying to hear OP’s post-game comments. I wear red. I get on my feet and shout during the game. I make as much noise as anybody else in Section 411.

Do I look down into the lower arena seats with envy? Of course I do. Do I feel that I’m more deserving of those seats than those other geezers down there sitting on their hands? No way!

Those folks have supported UD year after year after year. I’ve already given the example of fans who have supported the program since the days of the Fieldhouse. They’ve given their hearts and wallets to UD athletics. That is love and loyalty, and it deserves a reward. A big part of that reward is the assignment of seating.

Why do some of them leave early? Beats me. They certainly aren’t alone, though, as I see fans in the rafters filing down the steps joining the rush to get out early. It causes me to shake my head in wonder, too. When it comes to avoiding the post-game traffic knot, my personal preference is to remain in my seat through the end of the game, listen to the coach’s comments, then make my way to the car and, if necessary, sit in the car a few minutes and rehash the game with the son, grandson or friend who has accompanied me.

Why aren’t they more demonstrative and boisterous? I can’t answer that with any degree of accuracy, but my theory is that two major factors are at play.

First of all, it could be that the evolution of their love for the Flyers parallels that of their love for their spouses. When we’re young, love is fiery and passionate. Gradually, the fire and passion subside, but the love endures and strengthens. We express it in quiet ways — with words, with our eyes or with the simple act of holding hands.

Secondly, we’re all influenced by our immediate environment. If we’re surrounded by gentility, we tend to behave in a manner that blends with those surroundings. It’s a civility perhaps alien to some in the younger generation.

Enthusiasm is contagious. Maybe the infusion of younger blood in the lower arena will gradually enliven that area. My wish is that, at some point, one of the geezers near courtside will get to his feet to become a cheerleader and finally turn the tide.

Failing that, I would hope that all of us would be more appreciative and tolerant of the geezers and cut them some slack. After all, theirs is a status all of us hope to attain.

See you at the Wittenberg game. I’ll be the deceivingly young-looking guy wearing the cute shoes.

[Originally written by “Xenia Tom”]