Patriots Fans in Philly Are Feeling the Burn

The countdown has begun. With less than a week to go before Superbowl LII and the showdown between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles, there has been nonstop news coverage about the upcoming event. Much of the chatter has been about the smack talking and rivalry between fans of the two teams. Boston threw down the first gauntlet by “banning” Philly cheesesteaks, Philadelphia cream cheese, Crisco (the official light-pole grease of the Philadelphia PD), and Rocky from the St. Charles Esplanade. Now Philly is firing back, with some area Boston Market stores temporarily changing their signage to read “Philly Market.” Part of that back-and-forth between the two metro areas has been making some displaced Patriots fans feel very uncomfortable in the City of Brotherly Love.

Metro USA quoted Joe Dill, a Fairmount resident who is more than slightly concerned about the welfare pf his property if he openly flouts his fandom at the moment: “If they lose I might have to take my Pats decal off my car to prevent vandalism. I have parked on my back alley, not even on the main road because there’s enough foot traffic that someone might smash my window. I’m never afraid to walk around in my Pats gear in Philly, I have rocked gear and took B-S from Eagles fans for two decades — they were never relevant before.”

The Eagles are plenty relevant now, and their fans are known for being particularly vocal and showy about their affection for their team and for their disdain for opponents. When they won the NFC championship game against the Minnesota Vikings, obstreperous Philly fans threw plastic cups and other assorted detritus at the defeated Vikings players as they were exiting the field. I think that, regardless of whether the Eagles win or lose to the Patriots, there are going to be a lot of rowdy fans getting up to shenanigans in the next several days. Patriots fans in Philly should probably keep their heads low and “hide their love away,” as the song goes!