Welcome to Women's World. Brandyn Campbell is the founder, editor and writer of the Philly Sports Muse. Every Thursday, Campbell will offer a unique perspective as she shares her passion for the Eagles ...
There are few situations in life when exhibiting the qualities of emotion and enthusiasm over intellect and reason are acceptable. Thankfully, being an Eagles fan is one of them. Passion doesn't come from smarts. That's what's fun about it. There are plenty of situations in life that require a calm, reasonable, steadfast demeanor. Forget about those for a few hours each week. Cheering on the Eagles is a needed outlet from the realities of daily life. That's why football Sundays (or Mondays, or Thursdays) are such a highly anticipated part of an Eagles fan's life. It's time to let your feelings overtake you and leave everything else at the door.
Sports fandom is a funny thing. Are you a glass half-full or a glass half-empty kind of person in your viewpoint - and does that translate to how you cheer for the Eagles?
After Monday night's victory over the Washington Redskins and the electricity displayed by the rapid-fire Chip Kelly offense, we're probably all glass half-full types at the moment. But, like LeSean McCoy, that can turn on a dime at a moment's notice for some.
Excessive exuberance may not be desirable in the stock market, but it is what makes being a fan so much fun. It is a rollercoaster ride of emotion experienced from play to play over the course of each week's game. You may laugh. You may cry. You will most definitely scream. And exactly one week later, you're back to do it all over again.
That is life as an Eagles fan.
Eagles fans are known around the country for our passion. Our emotions can be displayed in different ways, but it all leads to the same path of devotion. Most of us fall into one of the following categories:
Type 1 –The Limitless Dreamer: For The Limitless Dreamer, a good start to the season means nothing short of the fact that this is it. We're winning it all and having a parade down Broad Street. There is no stopping this team. Even after losses, this fan knows that the team will bounce back and have an impressive season. Probably complete with a record of 16-0.
Type 2 – The Cautious Optimist: This type of Eagles fan likes what s/he saw in the victory over the Redskins in Week 1 on both sides of the ball. But for The Cautious Optimist, the season opener was not the end all, be all. They want to see the team get a few more games under their belts before making any grand proclamations about the season.
Type 3 – Short-Term Memory: The Short-Term Memory fan has reactions to the team that go back only as far as the previous play. When an interception is hauled in or a difficult pass is caught successfully in traffic, there is only one conclusion can be drawn: This is the greatest team in the history of teams.
Type 4 – Negative Nelly: They follow the team, and they do love the Eagles in their own special way. But they are the ultimate pessimists - after a bad play or loss, they say, "I knew it." Anything negative that happens reinforces their sad world view of fandom. You probably have watched a game with this fan type only once and left them at home for the rest of the season to wallow in their own negativity.
There is no one fan type that is better than the rest. Fans come in many different packages with a variety of quirks. The interplay of these differences during the season at stadiums, bars, in homes, on social media and everywhere else makes for an entertaining game day experience. Regardless of how they express it, each type of fan shows tremendous passion for the Eagles throughout the season. Sometimes there are wins, sometimes there are losses, but they always support the team. And that's what matters most.
As the season unfolds, relish the fact that cheering on the Eagles is your time to let go. Forget about reality and manners and everything that makes up your day-to-day existence. Be ridiculously optimistic if you want to be. That's your team on the field, and whatever way you choose to support them is what makes you a fan. Hold tight, enjoy the ride and let's do it all again next week.
