The city that loves you back

When the Kansas City Chiefs kicker kicked the football through the uprights on Sunday winning the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles, I started getting the teasing text messages from coworkers and distant friends. The gist of the messages: “Oh boy, watch out, Philadelphia is going to burn now. The fans are going to go crazy.”

Ha, ha, yea, yea, $@%?! you too buddy. No, I didn’t say that, but I felt like it. 

Philadelphia, a city notable for its rich history and for serving as the cradle of liberty, often gets picked on for having the unruliest fans. Some of that is well earned, some of it is not. 

Where’s the truth and the lie

Now I didn’t grow up in Philadelphia but I’ve come to understand the city. First let’s get some things off the table.

Yes, in December 1968, Philadelphia Eagles fans threw snowballs at Santa Claus, but it wasn’t the Santa Claus you’re imagining. During the last game of a woeful 2-12 season, which I might add was 55 years ago, the team was scheduled to hold a Christmas-themed halftime show. The team, though, ran into problems. A snowstorm hit the area and prevented the Santa Claus hired to perform from getting to the stadium, so a backup was selected from the crowd. 

Thanks to the horrible season and cold and snow, the fans were already on edge. When team rallied late in the second quarter to take the lead, in essence giving up on a chance to select running back OJ Simpson in the upcoming draft, the fans were upset. Throw in a poorly dressed Santa Claus, who was a bit sauced, and the fans, of course, started bombarding him with snowballs.

So, ever since, every lazy announcer has pulled out the same tired story to poke fun of the fans. Let’s jump to the present, so how did the 5.7 million people living in Philadelphia and the surrounding area react to the Super Bowl loss? There were a few crazies, it’s a large city, but most were solemn and mournful. They hoped to be celebrating and for three-quarters of the game, it looked like they might be.

Tough city

And yes, Philadelphia can be a tough place to play for the opposing team and even the home team if you fail to give your best effort. Philadelphia wears it’s blue collar roots on its sleeves and takes pride in its reputation, but it’s not like Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles play, becomes a hellish scene from the movie, The Purge, the dystopian movie where all crime, including murder, becomes legal each year for a 12-hour period.

Let’s get to the heart of the matter. Would I wear an opposing team’s jersey to an Eagles game? Probably not, but I should add, I wouldn’t’ wear an opposing jersey to MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants, or any other stadium in the Northeast. You mix cold temperatures, free flowing alcohol, and fans and you run the risk of running across stupid behavior. My advice for visitors would be to cheer for your team, but I wouldn’t bring on added trouble either.

When my kids were young, would I have taken them to an Eagles, Sixers, Flyers, or Phillies game? A 1 p.m. game, yes. I have and we had a great time. However, I passed on taking them to an Eagles Monday night game. Again, I probably would make that same choice in a slew of other cities too.

Warts and all

Do the fans do some silly things? Heck yes, they booed Quarterback Donovan McNabb when he was drafted in 1999. The prevailing thought was that Ricky Williams was going to be a Hall of Fame running back. The fans thought with their hearts, instead of their heads. 

And I’m sure there were more than a few Eagles fans who contributed to the scattering of boos that rained down on Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott on Sunday when he was named the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year prior to Sunday’s Super Bowl kickoff for his volunteer work. 

I’m sure I could think of a few others, but I will say this when they love you, they love you and stick with you through and through. They’ve come to treat Eagles Quarterback Jalen Hurts as one of their own simply because he plays hard and plays like he’s trying to make the team and not the foundation that the rest of the team is built on. For that, he and the rest of the team came a quarter away winning the Super Bowl.

For Philadelphians, you play hard, respect the game, and represent the city well and you’re golden.