Philadelphia Fans vs. Eagles Fans

Philadelphia is kind of a weird town. We like to think of ourselves as a big city, but we really aren’t. We don’t have the size of New York, with its tall skyscrapers and its huge subway system and its hustle and bustle. We don’t have the significance of Washington, DC either. It’s the center of our government. Philadelphia just can’t compete with that.

So we march on, inferiority complex in hand, talking a big game. It has to be a psychologists dream. We hate Washington sports teams, and in reality they don’t really care about us. That’s because they have other rivalries, sports rivalries, to care about. We feel like we’re fighting their entire city. Same goes for New York, although at least in their case the feeling is mutual.

Sports become the outlet for our desire to sit at the big kids table. We always want our teams to get national attention, and we know the only way to do that is to be competitive. We don’t want the attention for the glory or just to see ourselves on TV. We want the attention because deep down, we feel like Boston and New York get all of it. Where is this more evident than in baseball?

The Phillies only national attention recently has come from 10,000 losses, and that’s not the kind of attention any of us really wanted. The Eagles, on the other hand, have been a shining beacon of hope for the city. They’ve been on the brink of greatness for half a decade now, and the media sure does seem to like them. On top of which, the Giants and Redskins have been really bad for this whole stretch. How perfect. No New York and no DC. Just Philadelphia, King of the Region.

The only problem is that this has created a monster. Not that this town didn’t love the Eagles before they got good, because we did. We’re not like Patriots fans. But it’s gotten to the point now where if you don’t like the Eagles best, you’re a little bit like a cassette player. People walk down the street and wonder aloud, “Do they even still make you?”

Here’s my point. We tend to look at ourselves as a group, as a city. We’re more like an oversized village than anything else, and nothing gets to us more than when outsiders badmouth our village.

But is it possible that within this village, within this group of Philadelphia fans, there are actually separate groups? Are Phillies fans distinct from Eagles fans?

I think so. I think a Phillies fan would never do an “E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES” chant at a Phillies game. Those are your Eagles fans looking for something to do until camp starts. I think a Phillies fan would never call up the local talk radio station and say, “Well, at least it’s almost football season.” Those would be your Eagles fans again.

Here’s what I propose: Let’s start making a distinction between Philadelphia Sports Fans and Eagles Fans. The Philadelphia Sports Fans are allowed to go to games and support their team. They won’t mention other teams, because they are actually cheering for the one who is playing in front of them. Eagles fans are only allowed to go to Eagles games. That’s what they want anyway, so let’s give it to them.
Philadelphia Sports Fans are knowledgable, passionate, amazing fans. But you want to know something? Eagles Fans really aren’t. They aren’t knowledgeable at all. These are the morons who booed McNabb on draft day. They aren’t good fans. What they are is passionate; blindly passionate. And I don’t mean that as a compliment.