It’s Super Bowl Sunday in America, arguably the biggest secular holiday in America. You know all the storylines already. The Chiefs chasing an unprecedented third straight title. The Eagles going for revenge. Travis probably proposing to Taylor as the confetti falls after a questionable officiating call decides the game. Kendrick Lamar publicly executing Drake’s career during the halftime show. And of course the ads. All the ads.

When the Eagles are in the Super Bowl, the game becomes somewhat of a religious day of obligation across Philadelphia, South Jersey, The Delaware Valley, The Lehigh Valley, Delaware, and Northeast Maryland. Philadelphia is just a different place. Is it better? I won’t go there. Bills Mafia is amazing. Boston during a Yankees series is unique. Sundays in Pittsburgh are special. If you watch old videos from when Washington played in the East Side, you get them. Wrigley is a holy experience. Our friends down 95 in Baltimore put on a show. And yeah, while I hate the Queens fans, the Mets fan base is a blue collar crew. Even so, Philadelphia is different. The Eagles are definitely their own experience.

If you grew up around here, you heard the stories about the great wins, but you suffered through way more terrible losses. For as happy as February of 2018 or October of 2008 were, you earned it ten fold in heartbreak. Joe Carter. Spygate. Kobe and Shaq. Some kid from Millersville robbing Realmuto in the gap. A ticky-tack defensive holding ending Super Bowl 57. Scott Stevens. Fog Bowl. The 1987 Stanley Cup Final. All four of Andy’s NFC Title losses. We grow up together in Philly country learning to appreciate the highs, because we get plenty of lows. It’s the shared experience. We earn those wins.

America seems to be tired of Kansas City now, and I don’t blame them. It wasn’t long ago I was living in Omaha, and spent Super Bowl 54 in a Western Iowa casino. I took San Francisco mostly out of my spite for Reid, so when they went up a couple of scores, I started taunting the people around me who had been real loud. One of them, in an old worn down Chiefs coat replied to me, “of course we’re going to lose, we never win.” I immediately got that dude a drink. They suffered long and hard for this run. Nothing personal folks, you’re a great Midwest fanbase, but America is counting on us to save them from Travis and Taylor on a loop for the next month.

It’s time. The franchise that beat Lombardi and Brady for titles takes aim at Reid and Mahomes tonight. I’m ready for Philly-Philly.

Go. Motha’. Fucking. Birds.