Eagles Win the Super Bowl, Fans Go Nuts

IT’S OFFICIAL, GUYS. THE EAGLES ARE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS. WE STUCK IT TO TOM BRADY AND WON THE FREAKING GAME.

Okay. Now that I have that taken care of… wow. The underdog Eagles won the hearts of the nation as they did what seemed like the impossible, stopping the steamrolling juggernaut that is the New England Patriots and scoring their way into history. Fans watched with bated breath as the Eagles took an early lead, and bit their nails as the two teams seemed to swap back-to-back touchdowns and field goals. A few fumbled kicks cost New England some points, and then a sack late in the fourth quarter killed Brady’s chances of doing what he does best, which is recovering points at the last minute. The Eagles’ defense managed to (mostly) contain the unholy trinity of Brady, Gronkowski, and Amendola, even though the opposite team put up plenty of yardage. It’s been analyzed to death, but the main point here is the headline: we won.

Victory is especially sweet when it involves Tom Brady getting sacked.

Eagles fans, predictably, had exactly zero chill about this historic moment. We don’t have a reputation for being the rowdiest sports fans in the country for no reason, after all. Following the win, which happened around 10:15 pm EST, fans flocked into the streets of Center City; thousands upon thousands of people, just like as if the game had been played downtown. They sang, they chanted, they waved their cell phones in the air… it became a scene like something from the largest Super Bowl party in America. Only a few bad apples took things out of control. According to Slate.com: “The tab for this frenzied disobedience was relatively modest, all things considered: a flipped car, several downed traffic lights, a few dismantled light poles, a smashed window at Macy’s, a crumpled awning at the Ritz-Carlton, and a food fight/looting in a gas station. Four arrests were made, Police Commissioner Richard Ross Jr. told Philly.com on Monday.”

The modest arrest record and the overall chill atmosphere is probably thanks to great policing by the Philly PD, who, instead of arbitrarily corralling rowdy fans, instead cheered with them and took selfies. It was a great night to be a Philadelphian. Victory has never tasted sweeter.