(Editor’s note: Monica Sager was a reporter for the Eagle-Tribune for three years before joining Newsweek over a year ago. Sager still resides in the Boston area and agreed to write this column about her favorite team, the Philadelphia Eagles and why they mean so much to her.)
Growing up, I remember football was always on in the background. We were a big sports family – no matter the season, some form of activity would be watched and cheered for.
And it didn’t matter if I was reading a book or glued to the television, if the Philadelphia Eagles were doing well, you had to start cheering.
We even have our superstitions:
No wearing Eagles garb on game day, unless you are cheering the team on in person.
No watching the game if you didn’t start from the beginning, and of course that also means you can’t leave once you started.
And don’t – under any circumstance – give up on the team.
Now, on Sunday the Eagles are going to face the Kansas City Chiefs for the second time in just three years in the Super Bowl. This time, the Eagles are vying to secure the franchise’s second Super Bowl win (sorry, Patriots fans!).
The Eagles are family.
My family has been known to plan our day around the Eagles game. For the NFC championship game against the Washington Commanders two weeks ago, my parents and I left a wine festival — we were having a great time! — early to ensure we were home for kickoff.
We text about the team even on non-game days, and there was a family fantasy football league with many Eagles-themed puns for names.
My team was the “Je Ne Saquons” after, of course, our running back.
Growing up, my brother and I had Eagles Christmas-style winter hats to wear around the neighborhood on chilly days.
Last September, we all flew down to relatives in Florida to enjoy the Eagles-Buccaneers. I came from Boston, my brother from Philly and my cousin from Nashville. It was a hot day, and we all got sunburns as the Eagles didn’t fair too well. But we were there together. We cheered together, and we commiserated together. Together is all that matters.
And the traditions started long before me. I remember hearing stories from my dad about listening to the games on a radio from his childhood bedroom. My Zeda — my mom’s dad — was born and raised in Philadelphia, and was a hard-core Philadelphia team fan. When Zeda died, we placed a stone with an Eagle on it to honor and celebrate the family’s patriarch’s commitment to a team, both through the good and the bad.
Zeda never got to see the Eagles win in the Super Bowl, but we continue to cheer for him tomorrow.
The Eagles are community.
The Philly team has brought me close to tears multiple times over the past few days just from their generosity to the city they live in. They really encompass the idea of Brotherly Love.
In the past week, the team has reached out on multiple occasions to victims of various crises. Andre Howard III required emergency surgery following the plane crash in Philadelphia. When he woke up, he asked about two things: his sister that he had shielded from debris and if he missed the Super Bowl.
The team’s wide receiver, A.J. Brown, posted to “X” wishing Andre a “speedy recovery,” and called the 10-year-old his “hero.” Brown promised to see Andre when he gets back “hopefully with some hardware.”
The Eagles also posted a video to TikTok of Ryan Quigley, one of the victims who was injured in the vehicular attack on New Year’s Day in New Orleans. He was longtime friends with Tiger Bech, who had died in the attack, and the two were Eagle fans.
Brandon Graham, the defensive end, is seen in the video assuring Quigley that “it’s OK if you’re not feeling it,” but that the team invited him to the Super Bowl.
Philadelphia teams overall are one of the most kind and caring franchises I know of.
The Eagles are also fun.
As I doom scroll on TikTok and X, so many videos of people playing phone call pranks on Kansas City businesses, teachers including the team in their lessons, chefs baking Eagles-inspired goods, and even babies singing along to the “Fly Eagles Fly” chant have popped up on my social media feeds the past few days.
Just yesterday when I was on the “T” in Boston, a man was wearing an Eagles sweatshirt. We shared a nod and a “Go Birds” and went on with our day. That’s all it takes. We felt connected and smiled. It’s the little moments for us Eagles fans. We may be a tough fan base, but we’re tough together.
And who wouldn’t want to enjoy a team that includes people like Saquon Barkely, Jalen Hurts, Cooper DeJean, Jordan Mailata and – retired and still honorable member – Jason Kelce.
You have to laugh at the infamous “Tush push” and other game mementos like the “Inner Excellence” book. They know how to poke fun at each other, have a laugh in the locker room and even joke with reporters after the game. It’s an infectious happiness.
So yes, the Eagles may not be favored by bookmakers, but there’s only one team I will ever be rooting for to take home the Lombardi Trophy.
Go Birds!