In light of the Eagles winning the Super Bowl, I think it is good to talk about Philly sports fans and how much we love the City of Brotherly Love. I know that the city of Philadelphia is crazy at times, but people from Philly that love the sports teams know how to bring everyone together.

Philly sports fans show their love for the city in so many ways. We’re very rowdy — maybe a little too rowdy — but we are such loyal fans no matter the outcome. I may have only been alive for two Super Bowl wins and one World Series win, but my love for these Philly teams have grown so much over the years. I grew up in Northeast Philly and still live there when I am not in Pittsburgh. My dad is from Philly as well but grew up in the Port Richmond and Kensington area — a lot closer to Center City than Northeast Philly is. 

As a kid, I did not really pay attention to Philly sports too much. Obviously, I have been a fan since the day I was born because I was born to Philly sports fan parents. I have been to games for all of the Philly sports teams. I don’t really remember the Phillies winning the World Series — I was also four years old, so that’s probably why. I do remember the 2018 Super Bowl win and the 2023 Super Bowl loss, though. Around the time that the Eagles won their first Super Bowl, I decided to start watching my teams more.

I admit though, I don’t really watch basketball too much, so I don’t really pay too much attention to the 76ers. Here and there, I will check up on how they are doing, but I never really grew to like basketball as a sport. I always watch the Eagles, Phillies, Union and Flyers. For each of those teams, I celebrate a win equally — although it was different when the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018 and this year. 

Something special about Philly sports fans is that even when one of our teams gets far into the season and loses suddenly, we may get angry, but we know that more seasons are to come. It was a really hard time when the Phillies had some painful ends to a couple of seasons right before the World Series or when the Eagles lost by three points in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs in 2023, but we remained hopeful. In the end, we did get that second Super Bowl win, and I have great faith in the Phillies this season.

Many people despise Philly sports fans. The Philly sports fans are diehard for their city. A lot of us grew up with one or both parents being right from Philly. My dad always has Philly sports radio on when a game is on. If we aren’t home to watch a game during some period of time, that game would be on the car radio for my whole family to listen to. 

I think other sports fans just think we are too obnoxious or call us trashy because of our city. I think that people that hate on us should just be more passionate about their teams. Or maybe they are just jealous of our fanbase. Philly sports are passed through families in the best way. Every time that there is a game, we always have a little party or a nice celebration with just the immediate family. You order cheesesteaks and pizza from your favorite place in the neighborhood and wait for the game to start. 

We have a lot of passion, and that’s what makes us such an incredible fanbase. We know our teams have struggled a lot, but we always keep that faith. When one of our teams wins something big, we talk about it for the rest of time. There are always memes on social media that talk about what the city of Philly will look like if we win or lose — it is always a video of a burning city. But we are so much more than lighting things on fire on the street, jumping on trash trucks, climbing poles even if they are greased, tearing down street lights and street signs and blasting Meek Mill on speakers. We are Philly, and we may celebrate in the craziest ways or show our pain in the craziest ways — that is who we are. No one likes us, and we don’t care.

Have thoughts on Philly sports fans? Email them to Irene at inm24@pitt.edu.