Braves Manager Kept His Family Home Thanks To ‘Hostile’ Atmosphere In Philadelphia

The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies open their seasons on Friday afternoon, thanks to a rain out on Thursday. For Braves manager Brian Snitker, it's a return to Philadelphia and Citizens Bank Park after a disappointing loss in the National League Division Series last October.

But Snitker's family, despite the pomp and circumstance of Opening Day and sky-high expectations for the 2024 Braves, won't be there. And it's all because the Phillies fans are so "hostile" to opposing fans, even the families of opposing teams they happen to notice.

In a radio broadcast with Atlanta station WZGC last week, Snitker described the atmosphere as "rough," and even "concerning."

"It's rough there," Snitker said in the interview. "And they don't seem to mind either, quite honestly. It was rough on them all last year to the point where it was concerning."

It was so concerning for Snitker's family that he admitted his wife won't ever return to the stadium, saying it has "by far the most hostile crowd" in MLB. 

Well that's about the least surprising description of Philadelphia you'll ever see.

Fans hold a sign before the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Philadelphia Phillies in game seven of the NLCS at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Oct. 24, 2023. (© Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Phillies Fans Continue To Earn Baseball's Worst Reputation

Despite their uh, overexuberance, Snitker did praise the Phillies fan base for their passion.

"This is a passionate fan base, and there's a lot of energy in the air and rightly so," Snitker said. "This is a really good club. These fans are passionate about what they do. It's a fun place to come play, quite honestly, because there is a lot of energy."

Citizens Bank Park is widely regarded as one of the toughest places to play in important games or postseason games, with crowd noise highlights becoming commonplace late in the season.

But all too often, unfortunately, Phillies fans can't help but channel their "passion" into what Snitker charitably described as "concerning" behavior. There's a difference between supporting your team and making others feel unwelcome. Phillies fans seemingly, somehow, still don't know how to figure it out.