What a win means to Philadelphia

Another football team broke a long drought this season. Its passionate fan base resides about 350 miles southeast, in the City of Brotherly Love.
The Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl in franchise history Sunday, ending a 58-year championship drought for the team, and the fans celebrated the only way Philly knows how: by parading down Broad Street. Throughout South Philly and Center City, Broad Street is where Philadelphians are famous for their Mummers Parade, the longest-running folk parade in America.
This Eagles’ season story feels similar to an Oscar-winning movie about an underdog from Philadelphia: “Rocky.”
After the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41-33, the streets of Philadelphia flooded with die-hard fans, celebrating a win many people never believed they would see.
People climbed light poles, turned over cars, danced and jumped in the streets, letting all the stress of being a Philadelphia sports fan escape.
Grown men were shown on ESPN and social media weeping in their midnight green jerseys, and the chant never stopped: “E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles!”
Nothing compares to the ups and downs the Eagles have gone through over the past 20 years. These include making four straight conference championships without winning a Super Bowl, several dramatic races to win the NFC East Division, Chip Kelly trading away every key piece of the team, and so many more miserable moments. The story of this season was too good for Philadelphia to lose.
The Eagles played with a backup quarterback against what CBS, among other sources, has called greatest quarterback-coach duo of all time in a rematch of the Super Bowl they lost 13 years prior.
Now, the city prepares for the parade, where every Eagles fan, age 21 and older, will receive free Bud Light, thanks to a social media challenge by offensive lineman Lane Johnson. The team will travel down Broad Street, beginning at their home, Lincoln Financial Field, and ending at the famous Art Museum steps, also known as the “Rocky steps.” What a fitting end to a fairytale season.
Considering that a statue of Rocky, a fictional movie character, is one of the most iconic tourist sites in Philadelphia, it’s obvious that Philly fans love nothing more than an underdog story. That’s exactly what they got here.
Apparently, they never beat anyone very good all season. They lost their top-tier left tackle. They lost their defensive captain. They lost their MVP-candidate quarterback. Even though they were the number one seed playing at home against the sixth seed, they were underdogs. Their backup quarterback wasn’t good enough.
And now, the “not good enough” quarterback is a Super Bowl MVP and will forever be one of the most loved people in Philadelphia history. The team pegged as underdogs beat one of the best dynasties in football history, just like Rocky Balboa beat Apollo Creed in “Rocky II.” It’s the perfect underdog story, just like a Philadelphian would want.