We’re in the middle of Dallas week here in Philadelphia which is always one of the best weeks of the NFL season for Eagle fans. I’ve heard some people say the rivalry with Dallas has somewhat lost its luster in recent years. Some would even go as far as saying the New York football Giants are now public enemy number one in the eyes of Bird’s fans. I have to say here in Philadelphia plenty of hate exists for both teams and their fan bases. At the end of the day no matter how lack luster the Dallas rivalry is compared to the one with New York, Dallas is still Dallas and it will always be a requirement to loath them.
Let’s stop and think about this hate we have for the Cowboys. Why should a passionate anger for this Texas city only exist among Philadelphians? The New York Yankees always have been labeled as the Evil Empire but sports fans in general should be looking at the Dallas Cowboys when it comes to labeling the true evil empire in sports. Unless you’re a cowboy fan you should hold a hate or at least a strong dislike for this organization no matter what team you cheer for.
Being a fan of a team is about showing loyalty through the good and the bad. Let’s face it any Cowboy fan outside the Dallas area (and a lot of you exist right here in the Philly region) come from a long line of fans that show no loyalty. Many of you in fact have no relatives or family ties to the state of Texas yet you wear the Star proudly. What business do you have cheering for a team that’s a plane ride away when you have a perfectly legitimate NFL franchise in your backyard? At the end of the day it’s a lack of loyalty to your hometown squad and sports fans everywhere should resent the Dallas Cowboys for shattering the idea of having everyone in town cheer for the local team no matter what sport it is.
Back in the early 70s when times were tough for Eagle fans children jumped on board the Cowboy bandwagon and of course why not. It’s human nature for people to have the desire to feel good about themselves and be part of something positive. Back then Dallas gave people that positive feeling when it came to sports and sense of being part of a winner no matter where you lived. They were Americas Team. They had a swagger about themselves. The Eagles on the other hand were the opposite of Dallas constantly losing and providing fans with nothing but anger and frustration. In today’s world those initial Philadelphians that jumped ship to the dark side raised children to do the same when it came to cheering for a football team. The idea of being a football fan in the Delaware Valley and cheering for Dallas was reaffirmed in the 90s when Dallas captured three more Super Bowl titles. Children all over the area wore the star proudly and gave it to the loyal Eagle fans who cheered for the home town squad.
The Dallas Cowboys took loyalty of the home town team out of sports. When you go to your local watering hole on Sunday night to watch the 105th meeting between Dallas and Philadelphia you’ll notice a group of people cheering for the team with the star on the helmet. Chances are that group of football fans in your bar grew up in the Delaware valley and have no family ties to the state of Texas yet they’ll be cheering for the visiting team.
Just to clarify I’m not saying if you live in a town you should be cheering for the closest team to you. Let’s face it with technology in today’s world people now have the ability to closely follow a team from any city. If you’re comfortable cheering for a team that’s a plane ride away or you don’t mind always seeing your team as the away team when they come to town so be it. But what I’m saying is whatever town you’re from you should be cheering for the closest geographic team to your hometown unless you have family ties to another particular town outside of the one your grew up in.
The Dallas Cowboys made it acceptable for fans to cheer on teams from any city without having family ties or associations of any sort. The ability to make citizens of a town turn on each other on a Sunday afternoon as opposed to having everyone unite and be a part of one local fan base is as evil as it can get in sports. Whether you’re an Eagle fan or not we as sports fan should all be united on one thing; the true evil empire of sports resides in Dallas Texas. If you’re a fan of America’s team than you can be proud knowing your franchise initiated the process of stripping hometown loyalty away from the American sports fan. So how bout them Cowboys.
First off, I will admit I am a Cowboys fan (who lives in Texas). However, this is the most rediculous article I have read in a while. Is it really that hard to find something to report about the Eagles. Suggesting that the Cowboys are the reason that people from Philly have no team loyalty is completely misguided and baseless. I live in a city that is notorious for our bandwagon fans. When our teams are not doing good, most people jump ship quickly. The dont jump to other cities, though. They just stop cheering. Maybe it is because we have a history of sucess that the Eagles don’t. How about you look inside yourselves instead of blaming everyone else. Maybe your team could do the same.
Couldn’t have said it better myself!
And I meant that for John, not asscatraz.
@Stratis
I hear eagles fans cheering on tv at their away games. Do you really think the eagles don’t have any fans lacking geographical or family ties in the greater Philly area?
Do you really think Vick was brought in solely because he could help the team(key word being solely there), or could there have been some kind of marketing angle to enlarge the fanbase among minorites and outside the Delaware Valley area?
You suggest working folks should spend their hard earned money on organizations that produce a bad product, in other words making an emotional decision unlikely to result in any kind of satisfaction(save for yours), because it is the loyal thing to do and appeals to YOUR emotions.
I am an eagles’ fan with no family ties to the state of PA and surrounding area. From one eagles’ fan to another- you sir are an unmitigated imbecile.
He’s right on point with this article.
Eagles fans….TRUE Eagles fans that are diehard and live and breath Philadelphia football aren’t fans of the team because of the players that are brought in, or how they are marketed….they are fans because they represent US….they represent OUR city….and it’s the city that we love.
He’s an immature blowhard, clearly embittered by years of having to watch others enjoy their team’s success, and he’s right on about nothing save for the first two paragraphs.
When you see the “turncoats” at the bar this weekend, instead of getting all pissed off, have some fun and engage in a little lighthearted red-assing.
the author is correct about why many jumped ship, the cowboys had Landry, staubach , we had Pete liske , Eddie khyat , just putrid, eagles could have drafted oj but opted for Leroy Keyes [some things don’t change], couldn’t root for the giants, so many in Philly followed the so-called America’s team, my brother jumped ship, still a cowboys fan to this day
I for one love the rivalry. But help me out here John, so you’re saying the Cowboys are evil, so rooting for the Cowboys makes one evil, is that right? Now, which teams fans started cheering when the stretcher was called out as Michael Irvin lay lifeless on the field? On a play that ended his career?
And you’re telling us that the Cowboys fans are the evil ones?
We never asked for the America’s team badge. That was put on us by the media. I think America’s team would someone who has won more than we have. Like the Steelers, or maybe a more current Dynasty like the Patriots. At least the “Dream Team” dreams big!
A1catraz – Are you a fan of Jerry Jones?
Only as an owner. Not as a GM. He has the money. Now if he could just stay off the sidelines. However, I will say that he has landed some incredible talent in Texas since taking over. Still, another FULL TIME GM would probably have done just as good or, probably, better.
Why Dallas Sucks
5. Great Teammmates (sarcasm) – During strike season during the 80s Captain Randy White crossed the picket line to play with scabs. His reason was that he needed the money for his family. Co Captain Tony Dorsett mocked and criticized White calling him captain Scab. Two weeks later Dorsett crossed the picket line and stated he needed money for his family.
4. Superstitious Cowards – The Cowboys thought there was a curse on their dark uniforms. They went out of their way to wear the white unis. Hank Stram even went as far as lobbying the comissioner to see if the Cowboys could always wear their white ones.
3. What Loyalty? – The only good thing that came out of Dallas was Tom Landry. When Jerry Jones took over as owner, Landry was coaching and wanted to continue. Jones instead of being upfront, fired him in an underhanded manner. Landry was the only coach of the organization at the time and beloved by all Dallas fans and players.
2. America’s Most Wanted Team – The Cowboys wrote the book on criminal behaviors. From drug use, prostitution, wife beating, theft and everything else this team is notorious.
1. Bandwagon Fan Base – The majority of the fan base are fairweather fans. No other organization breeds the wrong type of fans as much as the Cowboys.
a1catraz, why would probe around here, must not be enough juice down there in bootville, Romo a good playmaker but a head case, if the eagles defense puts early and constant pressure on him the cowboys lose
alcy – jake brings up a good point – would you agree that Romo’s issue is psychological? And if so, where do you think that stems from?
schiller , only you would ask a fan of another team his opinion of the owner, ” do you love jerry like I love jeffrey “
my hatred for the cowboys is only slightly outmatched by the my hatred for the ahole fan base. my brother’s girl is a dallas fan. she has a romo jersey, a dallas purse……..the whole setup. of course, she couldn’t name more than 5 players on the entire team, but rest assured, she’s a die hard fan. she is (in my experience) the prototypical dallas fan. my girl’s brothers are giants fans. dudes could open their bedroom windows and spit on the linc they live so close. it’s a self esteem thing. why have hometown loyalty when you could spend your sundays in a witten jersey, starting fights cause you’re a total dick. “where’s your ring, huh……..where’s your ring.”
nice post cmoney , some people just have no class
Spot on cmoney26,
But be careful , because when you look around the Philly Area, many recent newer Phillie Fans are the same way..
cmoney26, you should take a dump in her purse, when she ain’t looking. Anyone that lives in this city, with 4 major teams to route for, & routes for another team, is a front running, bandwagon jumping, disgraceful waste of a human being. Live & die with your city, you insecure weasels! Although I rip the $#!t out of my teams, I will die a 4 for 4 man, & always watch & route for them to the end! F^#@ Dallas, & f^#@ Reid! LMFBO!
Jake – only you would misunderstand reality to such a degree. I have no feelings toward Jeffery Lurie, positive or negative. But you like to draw conclusions, make assumptions, read the world in exclusively extremes/black and white thinking.
Hope you enjoy the Dallas game, I know I will. But you sir, just don’t get me.
“a1catraz, why would probe around here, must not be enough juice down there in bootville, Romo a good playmaker but a head case, if the eagles defense puts early and constant pressure on him the cowboys lose”
jake,
it was a top hit on google news. when i see a article headline as slanted and ridiculous as this one it was hard not to check it out. Should have known it would be an eagles nest. You want to talk about classless fans. I cant even take my kids to eagles games, because the fans that come to the games in dallas are so classless that they will get in a 3 year old face and curse at him.
schiller,
i am in the minority here (although that is changing fast) of people who think romo is stat wise a great qb, but one that will never win us a superbowl. i would love to be wrong on that though. as bad as he has been this year he is still on pace to throw for 5,000 yards. i guess he is a headcase but when he is good he is very good.
also “jakedog”,
if we put pressure on vick early and often not only do we win but he leaves injured.
all in all though, i just hope it is a fun and entertaining game to watch and no one gets hit with batteries. 🙂
maybe Reid if he doesn’t get stuck in the ear hole of blow up helmet as paulman predicted
alc – Good stuff – you seem like a reasonable person. I sure hope your favorite football team loses sunday, but I have a lot more respect for you than I do for some of my fellow eagles fans that post here. You communicate like a sensible human.
same to you schiller. nice to see there are good people in philly. 🙂
A1 – yeah, there are – tons – but we’re not as loud. I’m sure the same goes for Dallas…
very much so. the idiots are always up front. lol
Let’s keep it real
The guys to hate are 80 miles up the NJTPK
Been that way since the 50s
And if the Eagles want to win the East this year that is who they have to beat
Eagles could not have drafted OJ unless they tanked the last game ‘
They ended up with the 2nd pick because they won the last game
There is one reason to HATE the Dallas team of by gone days
CHUCK HOWLEY/TIMMY BROWN