Yay! The Eagles won the Super Bowl! Yes indeed, all Philadelphia fans should be ecstatic, and they probably are for the most part. I certainly am. The recent success has validated my fanship over the lean years since I started paying attention in the 1960's.

But the story I wanted to talk about is the behavior of the fans, in particular Philly fans.

Sure, fans from around the nation are generally of the opinion that Philly fans are the worst. They quote the usual stories, like when Veterans Stadium had a criminal court inside the stadium itself. Or when they threw snowballs at Santa Claus. Or when they threw batteries at JD Drew on his first visit to the Vet after he declined to join the Phillies, who drafted him. I understand throwing batteries became a thing after that incident, and Philly will always be remembered for it.

And don't forget the light pole greasing! Light posts are greased up before any big victory parade to deter people from climbing them. At the parade for this recent Super Bowl win, dozens were arrested, and two women were shot when somebody caused a ruckus by cutting the porto-toilet line. Now that I can understand.

And then there are the online trolls. These Philly fans seek out anyplace they can bash other teams and fan bases. Particular favorite teams to bash are the Giants, Cowboys, and the Patriots. Those Philly trolls have a horrible reputation, as was evidenced by an online poll on Facebook where the question was, "which team fans are the worst?" Four pictures of team logos were displayed, but I only remember a couple of them - the Cowboys and the Eagles. The Eagles fans got a LOT of votes.

But that is kind of understandable. First of all, Eagles fans have been suffering for decades without having a championship. And then the first time the team gets into the Super Bowl in 1981, it gets blown out by the Raiders. I hate Jim Plunket to this day. (Ironically I played in a golf tournament a number of years ago and Jim Plunket was a participant. I got to say hello at the after-tournament festivities. No, I did not mention that I hated him for beating the Eagles that day. Sigh.)

So Eagles fans were waiting a long time for a winner, and finally one came in the 2018 when they beat the Patriots. They got back into the Super Bowl again in 2023 (and lost), and then this year they won for the second time. That sudden success in the span of eight years has tweaked the psyche of the average Eagles fan - and perhaps turned him into an overly boastful blowhard. But I get it. 

But what took me a little bit by surprise is the extent that Eagles fans bash their own team.

In one Reddit poll I saw, Eagles fans were voted the biggest trolls. The headline was None of us will ever troll Eagles players better than their own.

I was not so sure of that until I did a bit of digging, and came upon some online posts that shed some light on the rabid Philly fans.

This again, I think, comes back to the decades without winning and then suddenly becoming the best team in the league. The fans were always very critical of the team during the lean years, and so I think they just have trouble easing off the gas pedal, so to speak. They continue the same behavior, bashing individual players, the coaches, heck, even the mascot if he gets in the way. It's a tough habit to break, as it is decades old for some of us old timers. I myself have to catch myself coming down hard on the Siriani (the head coach) or Jalen Hurts (quarterback) for their occasional idiotic decisions. But you know, it is so nice to see success, and to recognize it for what it is - a respite between periods of frustration and bitterness.