PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia’s sports scene is constantly changing, just ask Sixers fans. With Ben Simmons in Brooklyn, some in our area are now doing their own thing.
Stateside Vodka can be found along North Hancock Street in Kensington. The distillery has been open since 2015.
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“Always this small company in Philadelphia trying to make it happen,” said US operations manager Eddy McGehean.
But deep within those distillery walls are more than vodka drinks, sodas and specialty teas.
The staff members are die-hard Philadelphia sports fans and, like many others, had nothing but love for Ben Simmons at first. Only when those sparks quickly faded.
“I think Philadelphians love their athletes, but they want athletes to love us back and to be number one, work hard and push themselves, give it their all and this guy doesn’t have it. did not. He didn’t understand our city,” McGehean said.
Stateside Vodka decided to offer a trade, a bit smarter than adding James Harden to the roster.
“Nobody wants to wear them anymore,” Mcgehean said.
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For every Simmons jersey returned to the distillery, the distillery will award a $25 gift card to Stateside Vodka.
“I got everyone to shoot the jersey into the basket, but I tell them to miss it on purpose because that’s what Ben would have done,” Mcgehean said.
The jerseys will be donated to shelters in Brooklyn, which was a smoother approach than originally planned.
“What do we want to do? Burn them? Shred them? And someone in our text channel said we should give them away so they don’t just go to waste,” Mcgehean said.
Fans are eagerly awaiting a fresh start after Ben broke up.
“He didn’t want to be here and that’s the first thing we expect from our athletes and that’s why we’re coming to this now,” Mcgehean said.
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So far, Stateside has over 50 jerseys. They will accept Simmons jerseys until February 28.
