KRT“Fly Eagles Fly. On The Road To Victory. Fight Eagles Fight. Score A Touchdown, 1, 2, 3.”
You know the rest.
Of course you do. For the majority of you who live in the Philadelphia area, that song is as second nature as Ben Franklin or a nice steaming hot cheese steak. That’s because this city is as devoted to its favorite sports franchise as it is to the air we breathe.
The Philadelphia Eagles embody the heart and soul of this town, and for many, daily life revolves around it. They aren’t just a football team, they are deities. A religion should be formed in their honor (actually.it probably already has).
Now, across the country there are different types of fans. In certain areas of the country, Florida or some parts of California perhaps, the sports world is approached in a casual manner. In more densely populated sports towns such as New York or Boston however, sports are paramount.
Philadelphia is definitely the latter. On steroids.
We take our sports very seriously in this city, and the Eagles are at the top of the list. Outsiders may accuse us of being ‘bandwagoners’ or ‘fare-weather fans’, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The truth is.we love our teams so much it can be hard to swallow sometimes when they don’t perform at their best. Yes, we boo (boo-birds are a Philadelphia trademark), but it’s out of love plain and simple. To be a Philadelphia Eagles fan is quite simple, and sophomore English/communications major Ryan Kirby put it very well,
“It’s what we live for. The Eagles are everything to us in Philadelphia and we just want nothing more than to have them win it all. We have wanted a championship for so long and having them get so close every year breaks our heart. As a city, we need it, and I feel like they are getting closer every year.”
As Ryan put it, we have been close recently. Last year we made it to the ‘big dance’, the Super Bowl.but fell just short. Seems to be the story of the city in recent years. It has been 22 years since there was a parade down Broad Street, and that is entirely too long.
For a city with such a vivid interest in its sports, that is quite a drought. But we will never turn our backs. We will never give up hope. Because each year is a new year, a new opportunity, and we know that sooner or later our time will come.
In the meantime, we are obligated to stick by our team through thick and thin, because that’s just how we do things. Even in the harder times when the Birds were 3-13 and 5-11, we still sold out the Vet (Rest In Peace). We still cheered them on like this was ‘the year.’
Now that we are at the forefront of the league and have one the best teams, nothing has changed. We still cheer (and boo) just as loud as any fans out there. We still lay our hearts on the line to be broken.but it’s ok.
And we will always sing the fight song after every score. So in ode to Eagles fans everywhere, the song will be finished and for you the reader, perhaps a memory of your favorite touchdown will pop into your brain and brighten up the rest of your day, which for most, is just another day in Eagle-land.
“Hit ‘Em Low.
Hit ‘Em High.
And We’ll Watch Our Eagles Fly.”
“Fly Eagles Fly, On The Road To Victory.
E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!!!”
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Posted to the web by Matt Schill
