My Reasons to Root for Philadelphia in the Super Bowl

I don't really watch the Super Bowl or football in general, but everything in America today is political so I feel I must weigh in.  The President directed a great deal of vitriol at the NFL players for the players peacefully protesting during the anthem this past season.  From my experience as a community organizer, the point of a protest is to make people uncomfortable and raise attention to your issue.  Marching around the stadium on a Tuesday in November is useless and an ineffective. Praying outside the Mayor's door, standing on the table at a Michigan State Board of Trustees meeting or kneeling during the national anthem are good protests.   So, I thought I better pick a winner for this year's Super Bowl for progressives.  Here are my 10 reasons to support Philadelphia in this politically charged environment.

1. Fiona, the Cincy Hippo, picked the Eagles this year.  I think that Clevelanders need to support the home team.  There are many animals that pick the winners of sporting events, but Fiona is the one from Ohio.  The giraffes, lions, bears, and camels that select a winner for the Super Bowl are all over the board, but the one from Ohio seems pretty confident eating the romaine laid on the top of the Eagles block--for a large water pig. 

2. Donald Trump is a New England fan and even received a Super Bowl ring last year after the Pats won.  Anything he touches turns bad, sometimes it just takes a while.  Steaks, casinos, golf courses, ties, football teams, and now America.  Root for Philly to stick it to Donald.

3. Philadelphia Eagles are green; very few professional teams use green as their color. This is much better than the pandering Red, White and Blue of the Patriots.

4. The Eagles have never won a Super Bowl and have not won a football championship since 1960, which was the year a Democrat won the Presidency.

5. Americans love the underdog, and the Eagles are going up against the Empire.  Who could ever root for Darth Vader in a hoodie with Kylo Ren at quarterback? 

6. The Eagle is the symbol of the United States and so it is patriotic to root for them. Don't give me that crap about New England literally being the Patriots so it has to be more patriotic to root for the team named Patriots.  This is picking a team to win a game that you know nothing about and have nothing to do with.  There is no logic on selecting a football team based on watching from your arm chair.

7. Hasn't New England won enough?  Can't they give some others a chance?  Cleveland, Detroit, Jacksonville and Houston have competed in 0 Super Bowls.  Minnesota, Buffalo, Philly, Cincy, Atlanta, Carolina, Tennessee, San Diego, and Arizona have all lost when they got into a Super Bowl.  Let the rest of us have a chance, New England.

8. Both Bradley Cooper, Questlove and Jake Tapper say that I should root for Philadelphia.  They all seem like reasonable people that would not steer me wrong.  Sorry, Rachel Maddow and Captain America, Questlove has never let me down.

9. People from Boston feel that they are the better than the rest of us.

10. Philadelphia is a strong union city that supports progressive ideas.  They are a sanctuary city supporting the rights of immigrants.  Philadelphia has always welcomed immigrants and fought for civil rights unlike Boston which had a long tradition of fighting for segregation and having pretty racist/divided people.

Go Philly!
Brian Davis