By: Amber Putman
From waking up at seven in the morning to tailgate the NFC Championship game to celebrating on Broad Street until one in the morning after the Super Bowl, the memory of the 2025 Eagles victory will forever stay with me. If you had told pre-college Amber that she would run two miles in thirty-degree weather to celebrate a Super Bowl win, she would have bet her entire life you were lying. But that’s just what living in Philadelphia does to you. If I had to describe the Philadelphia sports community in one word, it would be contagious. This city celebrates wins together and mourns losses together in ways unlike anywhere else. Four years ago, I chose to attend college in one of the country’s most dedicated sports cities and had no idea what was waiting for me. Living in Philadelphia and experiencing its infectious community has turned me into a sports fan in a way that eighteen years with my sports-loving family never could.
Growing up just twenty minutes from Baltimore, I’ve always known how major cities influence their surrounding sports communities. I was raised to root for the Ravens if they made it to the Super Bowl and to boo the Dallas Cowboys—some things never change. We weren’t exactly a sports-obsessed household, but we were definitely competitive. My dad played softball and soccer throughout my childhood and coached my brother’s baseball team. My brother, now looking to study exercise science in college, has played nearly every sport known to a teenage boy. I was a competitive gymnast for twelve years before college, and my mom is absolutely ruthless at family game nights. I say I grew up in a baseball family because this was the sport that stuck with me the most. It was the only major sport I would watch because I understood it and could follow along. Football was never my favorite sport. My family had divided loyalties when it came to teams.
Having grown up in southern Maryland, my dad is a die-hard Commanders fan. My mom, originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, doesn’t particularly care for the game but her side of the family is rabid Eagles fans and she will proudly root alongside them. My brother, who grew up next to Baltimore, defaulted to being a Ravens fan. Although I was caught between conflicting loyalties, I never understood how people developed a ride-or-die mindset for certain teams. I always joked that my entire family had split opinions about football and I couldn’t care less. But moving to Philadelphia for college has transformed me from an outsider into an invested Philly sports fan.
Unsurprisingly, my path to becoming a Philadelphia sports fan started with baseball. I’ve always loved the excitement of a shared community—one of the reasons I enjoy Twitter during award show season. When the Phillies advanced to the World Series in 2022, my understanding of baseball combined with that sense of community sparked a genuine interest in Philadelphia sports. I remember staying up until one in the morning when the first game went into overtime. Though the Phillies ultimately fell short, losing in Game 6, I experienced a small-scale version of the Philadelphia sports fan hype for the first time during those few weeks.
While I attended the annual family Super Bowl parties growing up, I never cared about the game. I mostly enjoyed being with family and watching the halftime show. February 2023 was the first year I sat down to watch the Super Bowl and cared about the outcome. My roommate lent me her Eagles crewneck and I painted my fingernails green while I waited for our friends to join us in our living room for the game. Although I wanted the Eagles to win, I was a passive viewer. I only understood what was happening on the TV screen when Rihanna showed up for the halftime show. Still, the support was there. It was also my first look into the large-scale Philadelphia sports fandom. I even considered running down Broad Street in the rain to celebrate an Eagles victory. Unfortunately, there was no win, so this outcome was not explored and while my Philly pride took a brief pause when I studied abroad in Rome during my junior year, it came back in full swing at the start of my final year at Temple University.
Coming back from Rome, things were different. I was living with strong sports fans and the Eagles were winning. Due to this, I was developing a stronger connection with the Philadelphia fan base. I live with two Philly natives and two dedicated sports fans, which means if a Philadelphia team is playing the game is on. I didn’t watch much of the regular football season, but I remember catching the end of the Division Playoff game against the Rams. This game was crucial, as it determined whether the Eagles and Commanders would face off for a spot in the 2025 Super Bowl. If you recall, my dad is a lifelong Commanders fan, while my mom grew up in an Eagles household. Safe to say, I was relieved not to be home for the Conference Championship game between the Eagles and Commanders. With my family split and the rivalry between the teams running deep, tensions were high—but there was never any doubt about which team I was rooting for. For the first time, I genuinely cared about the outcome of an NFC Championship.
My roommate’s hometown friends came to Philly to tailgate the game at Lincoln Financial Field. We had our fill of green hotdogs and even got to see Jason Kelce before we headed home to watch the game in the warmth of our living room. During my sophomore year, my excitement for the Super Bowl was fueled by the contagious energy of the people around me. But by senior year, that excitement came from within—I genuinely wanted the Eagles to win. Since they were facing the Commanders, the team I grew up watching, it felt like a battle between my hometown and the place I now call home.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, the energy around the room was buzzing and my roommate looked at me and said “Get up, we’re going to City Hall.” Not even pretending to act like I had a choice. The sight of Broad Street was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. When I told my mom I was walking two miles down Broad Street from North Philly, I could see the worry on her face through the screen. I reassured her there was nothing to be concerned about—because as long as I was wearing green, this was the safest I had ever felt in Philadelphia after dark. The streets were packed, cars with massive Eagles flags sped by, honking in celebration, and people danced in the middle of traffic or stood on top of cars, I had never experienced anything like it before. The energy was exhilarating, but I wasn’t prepared for the four-mile trek I made that night. Eventually, I had to call it a night. But as I headed home, one thought stuck with me—I’d be ready after an Eagles win in the Super Bowl.
Unlike the previous Philly Super Bowl I watched, I was engaged in the game the entire time. I was cheering at the right times, not because everyone else was but because I knew what was happening. The highlight of the night was overwhelmingly DeJean’s touchdown in the early stages of the game. I could be found in a crowd of green jumping on the couch and cheering on a football player as he ran across my screen—a very unheard-of action for me. The excitement and tensions were even higher because the Eagles played the Chiefs. Knowing this game was a rematch from 2023 and recognizing that the Chiefs had been on a winning streak for two years prior, my pettiness and competitiveness heightened greatly. Once the Gatorade pour happened before the two-minute countdown, our crowd of twenty-some people gathered their things and I started my second journey to City Hall. I knew I was making lifelong memories of celebrating with my friends and the city of Philadelphia during my senior year of college.
Celebrating the Super Bowl victory was much larger than celebrating the NFC Championship. I was out past midnight and the crowd was massive. At times, I could barely move. Fireworks lit up the sky, reflecting off the windows of surrounding skyscrapers. Strangers hugged, danced, and sang fight songs, bonded by their happiness. Sounds of car horns and chants of “E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!” came from every direction. Between making new friends and seeing old ones, being a part of the sea of green surrounding City Hall was an honor I did not know I wanted. My native Philly friends even dubbed me an official Philadelphian.
After four years, two Super Bowls, and one Championship win, I am still not quite a football fan, but I am undoubtedly a fan of Eagles fans. That’s why I can confidently say I will stay loyal to the Eagles no matter where I live. It wasn’t the game that won me over—it was the community. I have learned that by living in the heart of Philadelphia I didn’t have a choice in becoming a Philly sports fan. I was placed into the community when I decided to go to Temple. While I was first attracted to the spectacle, my interest quickly transformed into genuine enjoyment as I began to understand why people care so deeply about sports. The dedication to certain teams stems from the community surrounding them. The way this city rallies around its team, celebrating victories like family, is something special. There is a feeling of purpose because every game has stakes. Philadelphia doesn’t just watch sports; it feels them. And after four years of living here, I do too.
