Tickets to the team's Draft Party, held on Thursday, April 28 at Lincoln Financial Field, went like hot cakes. Six thousand, five hundred tickets went in a matter of four hours as the fans gobbled them up, looking forward to a taste of the game and the team they love so much. It is the sixth straight year the event will play to a packed house, and this display is most impressive.
"This is another example of Eagles fans showing the passion and the love they have for football and for this football team," said team president Joe Banner. We thank them for that and we're looking forward to having a great draft weekend and sharing that excitement with them. The fans again showed why they are the best in the NFL."
The draft party is a complete win/win for everyone. The Eagles made 6,500 tickets available at no cost, although I'm sure fans would have paid $10 or even more to enjoy a night of football action. But this is one of the many times the Eagles invite the fans to attend at no cost -- training camp practices, pep rallies, many autograph sessions throughout the year -- just to be part of the fun, the action, the sizzle.
And on a Monday afternoon, with just the right amount of promotion, the fans came on strong to get their tickets to the draft party. On the night of April 28, Lincoln Financial Field will be hopping with Eagles fans and, oh, how I long to see all of the jerseys and hear the E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES! chants and talk to the fans and learn more about the direction this Eagles roster is taking. The work stoppage is brutal for everyone, and I'm sure the fans are feeling it the most.
Instead of talking about free agency and how it relates to the draft, we've spent the last month talking courts and Collective Bargaining Agreements and work stoppages. Everyone misses the game. Clearly, the fans are aching for Eagles football. They showed that with their display on Monday, and the Eagles organization says a collective "THANK YOU."
We've talked about the bad rap Eagles fans have taken over the years. It's completely unfair, and we all know it. Eagles fans have the incredible passion that leads them to acts of love like this one: How many teams have fans that, in the middle of a sports season that includes playoff runs by the hockey team and the basketball team, and the start of the season by the baseball team, go out in the middle of a work stoppage in the NFL and support their team the way that Eagles fans have?
It is a remarkable show by a remarkable set of fans, and the action has not gone unnoticed. To step up like you have, fans, is something special. The Eagles feel fortunate to have you on the same side. A taste of football is in front of us, three weeks away, and it just can't get here quickly enough.
