How these 2 brothers 'drive the ship' of the Philly sports 'hype train'

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Camaraderie between Philadelphia sports fans can last generations. But that bond needs to start somewhere, and for siblings LJ and Max Schembri of Bucks County, it’s already begun.

“It’s always super exciting to celebrate together when there’s a big moment like a home run or walk-off,” LJ said, wearing a Bryce Harper City Connect Phillies uniform while Max was sporting a J.T. Realmuto City Connect jersey.

LJ, 13, and Max, 10, have been fans for most of their young lives, and these days they have a lot to rejoice over because of the competitiveness of Philly’s teams — especially the Phillies. ( It helps that they both play baseball and even have Phillies-themed helmets, pictured above. )

Max is a catcher who likes J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper. LJ pitches, and is a fan of Harper and Trea Turner.

But the fandom doesn’t stop with them — they also have a big family of fans who often gather to watch games together. Their uncle Zach Devlin , a previous KYW Philadelphia Sports Fan of the Week, says their relentless passion and attention to detail for Philadelphia sports stands out.

“They’re the ones driving the ship with the hype train,” Devlin said. “They’re 100% on board. They’re the passionate ones getting up, giving high fives. They’re still young kids, but they’re the ones sort of leading the charge with watching games and on board with being passionate fans.”

And, in addition to all that, they have an appreciation for history and the teams their parents and relatives grew up watching.

Max, in particular, is a fan of former Phillies catcher Darren Daulton, who starred for the team in the 90s — about twenty years before Max was born.

The one championship Max and LJ did get to experience, albeit much younger at the time, was the Eagles winning Super Bowl LII. They remember the huge celebration from fellow fans that followed.

“I really liked watching that,” Max said. “My whole family was here. Tom Brady doesn’t have eight [titles]. He has seven.”

There’s no doubt LJ, Max and their entire family of Philadelphia sports fans will be elated the next time one of these teams goes all the way.

To hear more of their story, check out this week’s edition of KYW Newsradio’s Philadelphia Sports Fan of the Week: