This Super Bowl felt like it would be an even bigger deal than normal, and there were many reasons why — the fact that it would be a rematch between two dominant teams, the looming threat (or exciting possibility) of a Chiefs three-peat, debates over whether Patrick Mahomes was closing in on GOAT status, and somehow, Taylor Swift. Mix in the way the game was politicized by players’ comments, Trump’s attendance, and Kendrick Lamar’s highly anticipated halftime show, and you’ve got a game where the stakes are higher than ever.
However, amidst all the discourse, people still found time to talk about a tired topic: the reputation of Eagles fans. Eagles supporters are stereotyped as the rowdiest and most hostile fans in the NFL. Known for starting fights, climbing poles, and vandalizing the city, the fanbase was the subject of numerous viral trends leading up to the Super Bowl.
An Explosion of Stereotypes
In the days before the Super Bowl, a clip of Cherelle Parker, Philadelphia’s mayor, begging citizens not to climb poles exploded on social media. Hundreds of TikTok videos captioned “Philadelphia whether the Eagles win or lose,” showcased movie clips of apocalyptic cities exploding.
Violence should never be ignored or condoned, and no citizen should ever be in danger because of celebrations. However, people online stress the violence of Eagles celebrations, while other teams are overlooked. There weren’t any viral videos about the possible dangers of celebrations in Kansas City, despite a deadly shooting last year that killed one person and injured 21 others. Shootings during past celebrations of numerous other teams aren’t mentioned either.
During NFC championship celebrations in Philadelphia, there were reports of isolated violent incidents and one death. A teenage Temple student fell off a pole during the festivities. Another instance where a man fired three rounds of celebratory gunfire into the air was heavily publicized. After the Chiefs won the AFC championship, 25 instances of celebratory gunfire were reported by a scanning technology used by police, with a total of 145 rounds fired. There was almost no news coverage.
As the Super Bowl approached, both Kansas City and Philadelphia braced for celebrations. Only Philadelphia received the brunt of the negative attention from the public.
Before the Game: The Reality
In Philadelphia, people often greet each other with an enthusiastic “Go Birds!!” instead of hello, welcome, or good morning. They wear the sweatshirt of one team with the hat of another so frequently that they’ve given it a name: the “Philly Tuxedo.”Sporting Eagles merch on the subway makes people smile at you (which is a big deal when in a northeastern city). Whether it’s sports season or not, whether the teams are doing well or not, Philadelphians are die-hard fans.
So, as people online spread cautionary tales, what was Philadelphia actually like before the Super Bowl?
It was electric.
In the weeks before the game, the usual everyday fervor was eclipsed as the entire city plunged into a frenzied state. Every night, vivid green lights projected off of skyscrapers and historic buildings alike. Schools and workplaces prepared to cancel or postpone Monday activities if Sunday’s game went well. People got ready – they stockpiled fireworks, bought bald eagle masks, and purchased tickets to sports bars, which had adapted to take advantage of high demand.
This is what people outside of Philadelphia didn’t see on their news and social media feeds. In Philly, sports bring a diverse city together as people rally around a common goal.
The Aftermath
Just beating the Chiefs would have been enough. Destroying them and winning the Super Bowl 40 – 22 was just the icing on the cake. By the time the fourth quarter started, fans had already left the sports bars and their homes. They joined the throngs of people walking to City Hall.
On Broad Street, cheers echoed off the sides of historic stone buildings. The crowd surged and bubbled like something alive, partially obscured by clouds of green smoke. Every so often, a hand burst upwards from the throng, and two seconds later, a bang echoed from above– sparks bursting against apartment buildings, illuminating the silhouettes of dancing people within.
Thousands of Eagles fans, animated by the joy of victory and the satisfaction of vengeance, took over their city and celebrated in a manner that can only be described as ‘quintessential Philly. They climbed poles and trucks. They rode horses on the streets — a continuation of the rich history of Black cowboys in the city. They sang the Eagles fight song. Around seventeen people were arrested — but seventeen out of thousands. Eight of those arrests were for vandalism — but none were for harming any small, local businesses. For the most part, it was a raucous, but peaceful celebration.
So what do the fans themselves think?
How did Eagles fans feel about the fact that people online thought they were crazy?
Amidst the chaos, it was hard to get a coherent answer from anyone, or at least an appropriate answer for print. I hoped to get better answers by asking people who were walking around the city in Eagles merch a few days later. Instead, I heard nothing new: they repeated versions of what I heard on Broad Street.
“How do you feel about the people online who say that Eagles fans are crazy and dangerous?”
“We do not care.”
“**** them.”
“We are crazy and dangerous – just ask the Chiefs…”
“[redacted]”
It turns out that Eagles fans have the same energy whether they’re drinking, partying, and screaming at 1 AM, or just walking down the street on a Thursday morning in their Philly Tuxedo. Yes, they are crazy, and yes, they do know it. And all the hate just makes the glory that much better.
