Could 2018 go down as one of the best years in Philly sports history?

With two national championships and two more teams who made deep playoffs pushes, could 2018 go down as one of the best years in Philadelphia sports history?

I know it’s only May, but what a year it’s already been for the sports teams of Philadelphia.

Whether it be the Philadelphia Eagles‘ February 4th victory over the New England Patriots to secure the team’s first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history, or Villanova‘s fateful return to the NCAA Finals to win their second national championship in three years, it has already been a wonderful year to be a Philly sports fan, but could it go down as one of the best years of all time?

Yes, it very well may.

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While there have obviously been plenty of great years when all five of Philly’s major teams have put it all together, with the 1980 calendar year coming to mind, but have two teams ever won championships in the same year? Not before 2018.

Between the 76ers, Flyers, Eagles and Villanova Wildcats, Philly has had four teams make the playoffs so far this year, with a surprisingly potent Phillies squad, the owners of a very respectable 26-18 record a little over two months into the season, inline to make their return to the postseason as well. Just for context, only two teams in the entire country have won championships so far in 2018, and they both call the 215 home.

Now granted, only two major championships have been awarded so far in 2018, but hey, after a decade-long championship drought in the City of Brotherly Love, I think the fanbase will take what they can get.

Though it’s not completely unheard of, it’s pretty rare to see a pair of teams from the same city win championships in the same year. So far in the 21st century, it’s only happened four times, twice for Boston in 2004 and 2007, once in 2009 when the Pittsburgh Steelers and Penguins accomplished the feat, and now in 2018 when the Eagles and Wildcats both won championships in the same calendar year.

And hey, with the Philadelphia Phillies still playing, could we be in line for the very, very uncommon trifecta? That would be a stretch, but if by some miracle they are able to accomplish the feat it would be the first time it happened since it was accomplished in Detroit all the way back in 1935.

While it would have be nice for the city’s teams to have brought home even more championships in 2018, as many will still claim that the Sixers were robbed of their chance to face off against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers one-on-one for a chance to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, the best part of the state of Philadelphia sports in 2018 is that all of the teams are on the upswing.

After years of struggling, including a particularly tough stretch from 2012-2016, all four of Philadelphia’s big four teams are ascending, with the potential for another glory decade on the horizon.

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With two national championships in their back pockets and four teams who have already made the postseason with winning records, this could very well go down as the best year in Philadelphia sports history, especially if the Fightin’ Phils and Temple Owls can keep it together and turn out solid seasons to close out the calendar year. And the best part? This very well could be just the beginning of a new era of dominance in the City of Champions.

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