Honestly, I do not like the Eagles. As a Giants fan, I generally hold disdain for their unruly behavior, partially because I have always seen it from the perspectives of devoted Eagles haters, my father and brother. Stories of stadiums built in jail cells for riled-up Eagles fans and myths of angry fans pelting Santa with snowballs have certainly influenced my viewpoint, despite the very plausible inaccuracies of these rumors. 

On one side of the NFL fan base, Eagles fans are seen as impassioned and full of heart. On the other, their behavior is seen as unnecessary and unruly, which tends to be the viewpoint of those who have been on the other side of their wrath, whether it be after winning or losing.

As the NFL team of particular relevance to Villanova, the Philadelphia Eagles’ reputation for their unique behavior certainly has generated strong opinions within the student body. 

“The Eagles have the most loyal and passionate fanbase in the NFL, but they have an interesting way of showing it by burning their city down in celebration,” junior Isabella Coles said.

Junior Kayla Verga felt similarly. “My friends were all planning to go into Philadelphia after the game if the Eagles won. But after seeing some videos of Eagles’ fans and their chaotic behavior, I decided I wasn’t going into the city to celebrate with them.”

Nationally, this is likely a majority opinion, as Eagles fans’ destructive behavior of looting and burning became a national headline following their 2018 Super Bowl victory.

But, is this reputation fair? What do Eagles fans have to say about it? 

“Although I am not of the opinion which wants to give the Eagles the benefit of the doubt, to me the actions of a few should not dictate the reputation of the whole,” junior and lifelong Eagles fan Ciara Hibbs said. 

But, this minority of the Eagles’ fan base makes it hard to be understanding. If we view  Eagles’ fans as a fridge full of food, the looters and pyromaniacs are like a bowl of uncovered Brussels sprouts, stinking up the whole and ruining everyone’s day. 

   Videos of car flipping within Philadelphia circulated around social media before the Super Bowl even began last weekend. 

“[I] saw a video of a Temple [University] block party and they flipped someone’s car over…a random car,” University of Pennsylvania student Jack Ryan said.

This is not the first time Eagles fans have demonstrated their affinity for flipping cars. Following the historic Eagles victory in 2018, Time Magazine reported that “plants and street signs were uprooted and cars were flipped over as fans celebrated a win they had waited decades for.” 

After hearing of the car flipping early in the day last Sunday, I could not help but feel Philadelphia was going to meet its maker that night, especially following a crushing 38-35 loss to the Chiefs. Fortunately, the traffic lights and 7-11s of Philadelphia lived to see another day, much to my surprise.

Despite the Eagles being closely tied with Villanova, I can not help but feel a little relieved about the loss, given their past. Although I see that this reputation may be outdated or exaggerated, hating on the Eagles is a fun pastime that I will continue to pursue.. 

As a final statement to Eagles fans on Villanova’s campus and everywhere, this is largely a joke: please don’t hurt me.