Philly Front Office

The Eagles are going to the Super Bowl. I love this team. I love everything about it and everyone on it. I will defend every single person involved with the Eagles until I can’t do it anymore. Over the years I have spent a small fortune on Philly sports gear for me and my family. Now, after the Eagles just put an absolute smackdown on Washington and punched our championship ticket, under absolutely no circumstances will I be wearing ANYTHING that says Eagles on it for the next two weeks. I haven’t worn a single article of Eagles clothing since October 13, 2024.

During week 6, the Eagles were 2-2 and struggling against Cleveland. It was 13-13 in the 4th quarter. I was upset. We lost a heartbreaker to the Falcons, got thrashed by the Bucs, and now were completely underwhelming against the Browns. For further context, this was right after the Phillies lost to the Mets and Joel Embiid wasn’t practicing for the Sixers for unclear and ominous reasons. I lost it. I turned off the TV, found some boxes, and went to my closet. Anything with an Eagle on it, a red P, a bell, or any Philly logo was going in the boxes. My wife was very confused. I confessed that I was a clown, was wasting my sanity rooting for these teams, and I wouldn’t wear anything or buy anything anymore (I declared 1 year moratorium at the time).

I have a text chain with Eagles friends and told them what I had done. They rightfully made fun of me and I admitted that it was the least mature (but possibly the most mature) thing I have done in a long time. About a minute later I received the score alert that DeVonta Smith scored a 45-yard TD. I didn’t dare turn the TV back on.

The next week I watched the game, I wasn’t going to deprive myself of that. The boxes stayed in the closet though. We won. The next week, with boxes in the closet, another victory. Same the next week, and the next week, and the next week. We kept winning. Since that date, the Eagles are 15-1. I have not worn any Philly stuff (except the occasional Phillies hat at Little League practice – GO IRON PIGS!!!) since that day. The boxes are staying in the closet through February 9, I promise you.

This was only the second silliest thing we did this season. A friend of mine has been going to Eagles games for years and they always lose. It is inarguably his fault. He knows this, but he keeps going. He was in the area in early December and got a ticket to the Panthers game. Does everyone remember the first half of that game? We were down 7-10 before DeVonta (again) scored a touchdown. Right before that score my friend left the stadium. He could hear the roar of the crowd from behind as he walked through the gates. He was right to do it. There is a strong chance he never attends a live Eagles game again.

For the last few years all of us have had our superstitions and little ticks that we do to ensure the best possible outcome for our teams. Between 2 and 230 yesterday I was savagely cleaning my house. Washing dishes, doing laundry, sweeping, folding clothes…whatever I could do to ensure the most karma, I had to do it. I texted those same friends. They were doing the same thing. You do whatever you have to do.

Part of my routine is being better to my kids on gameday. They are too young to really understand how big certain games are, so I can’t level with them. This leaves me in a position where I have to go help them at not exactly the most opportune moments. In 2022, I promised my oldest I would take him to a NASCAR race. That race happened to fall on October 23, 2022, Game 5 of the NLCS. The schedule wasn’t ideal, the race started first, but it would definitely overlap most, if not all, of the game. I had to go. We took a friend and his dad in one car, and I was happy to do it. You do what you have to do, right? Then something amazing happened, the friend freaked out at the tremendous sound the cars were making. Earmuffs weren’t helping, he was inconsolable and wanted to leave. After only 4 laps (of 267) we were on our way back to the car. I was going to make the game!!! A father’s job is never done though. With Bryce Harper coming to the plate in the 8th inning with Realmuto on first, my youngest needed to go to the bathroom and he came to me. Mom offered, but I said NAY! I took him, didn’t rush, washed his hands, and I sat down just in time to see Harper spit on a slightly outside pitch. The next one was the swing of his life. I was a good dad and the Phillies were going to the World Series.

To any Eagles fans reading this. Be your best in two weeks. Clean the house, sit in the right seat, talk to your kids, do whatever you have to do. We can’t play in this game, but we can still do our part. GO. BIRDS!