As Penn State students, everyone is very familiar with an abundance of hype around the sport of football. Back in Philly and “outside Philly” land, this excitement is just as extensive, only it’s over a different team- The Philadelphia Eagles.

Though this team has had their fair share of disappointing seasons, and has regrettably never won a Super Bowl (sad face), their fans remain loyal, sometimes bitter, but always loyal. Every single home game since the 1999 season has been sold out, and the team consistently ranks among the top three in terms of attendance. To further prove the passion of Philadelphia fans, a Sports Illustrated poll of over 300 NFL players voted Eagles fans as the most intimidating in the NFL. The Philadelphia area is crazy about the Eagles. As Philadelphia talk show host Glen Macnow once said, “You can drop a Martian in Philadelphia on a Monday morning and within five minutes, he’d know whether the Eagles won or lost.”

With all this information, you can infer that game days are an event. They basically take over the area. Whether you have tickets to the game or are having a watch party, it’s impossible to avoid the football excitement. There are certain things you must abide by in order to be fully accepted as an Eagles fan. Here they are:

1.Loud and Proud. Don’t let anyone trash talk your team. Sure, they never won a Super Bowl, but we’re on the ups. Carson Wentz is  .

2. Roll your eyes at every reference to the Santa Claus incident or any digs at the jail in the old Veteran’s Stadium. So the Santa Claus incident occurred on December 15, 1968 during a game in which the Eagles were losing (not surprisingly- they ended that season with a 2-10 record). At halftime, an innocent man, Frank Olivio, was featured in the halftime show dressed as Santa. Naturally, the miserable and freezing crowd pelted snowballs at the guy. This story has been recounted time and again, especially by ESPN anchors who seem to never have a nice thing to say about Philly fans and teams. We get it, it was sixty years ago. Now, it’s just unoriginal to talk about.

Oh, and yes there was a jail and courtroom in the basement of Veterans Stadium to deal with unruly fans at the games, but that’s a thing of the past. The present day Lincoln Financial Field is perfectly normal- no jail cells included.

 

3. Revel in the high points. As a faithful Eagles fan, you’re going to have to endure quite a lot of pain and loss. That being said, the good things are even that much sweeter. If you’re a true fan, you’ll especially remember where you were during the second “Miracle at the Meadowlands.” Wow.

4. Be involved. This is not limited to painting your  face green at the tailgate, but it means knowing the players, going to open practices, and attending draft parties at local establishments.This past April, the NFL Draft was conducted in Philadelphia and was held on the Ben Franklin Parkway, because attendance was expected to be so high. Fans did not disappoint, as an estimated 250,000 people attended.

 

5. You’re favorite song is Fly Eagles Fly. This song gets stuck in your head even when it’s not game day. It’s a good song, don’t fight it.

 

6. Hate the Cowboys. And the Giants. And the Redskins. And the Steelers. And the Patriots. It’s safe to just hate every NFL team that isn’t the Eagles.