Philadelphia Eagles: What it means to be an Eagles fan

It’s not always easy, but when you experience some of the highest of highs as well as the lowest of lows while watching the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s hard.

The moment is here: the Philadelphia Eagles have made it to the Super Bowl.

After 13 seasons, the team has made their long-awaited return, going against the same team that they lost to in the 2004 season. It’s been a long journey, but the hard work has paid off and the fans couldn’t be more pumped to be back in this position.

Philadelphia has a long history of losing, something that every city must deal with, but it seems that Philadelphia’s time in the cellar has been much longer and painful than most. But now that the time is here for the Eagles to be at the top of the football world, it’s necessary to reflect on everything this fan base has gone through.

We’ve been through the highs of seeing future Hall of Famers Brian Westbrook and Brian Dawkins led the team to winning seasons, and we’ve also been through the lows of the Chip Kelly and Sam Bradford era of accepting mediocrity. But what’s great about having so many peaks and valleys as a franchise is that it’s taught the fan base to never get too high or too low, because things could always turn.

Now that the team has a new hope in Carson Wentz there’s a renewed sense of optimism around the city. At tailgates, fans aren’t as cynical as they once were, the Eagles fight song can be heard every 10 seconds, and there is the feeling that the team could go out and win every single game they play. When Wentz went down, this euphoria was gone for a week or two, but the team quickly gave fans a reason to never stop cheering, and the energy all season has been unreal.

And it’s not just Wentz who sustained a season-ending injury, but also Jason Peters, Jordan Hicks, Darren Sproles and Chris Maragos, and yet the train keeps on rolling. The chips have been stacked against the Eagles for a very long time, and this year is no different, but now the Eagles have once again found the swagger they’ve been missing since Westbrook and Dawkins that gives them an advantage.

Who cares if the Eagles have to play against the greatest quarterback of all time in Tom Brady? They’re going into Minnesota with the mentality of kicking down the doors of the “evil empire” of the New England Patriots and making a name for themselves. The insurmountable hope that Philadelphia fans have may rub some the wrong way, but at this point, no one care. Eagles fans love their team unlike anything else and they truly deserve this moment.

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Being an Eagles fan means much more than just rooting on the men in midnight green, it means being the most hated fan base in the entire league at times, but it’s something the fans have come to embrace with open arms. With all of this said there is only one thing left to say, why not us?

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