Philadelphia Eagles Fans Boo Too Much

Jan 4, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver

(10) is interfered with by New Orleans Saints cornerback

(24) while attempting to catch the ball in the fourth quarter during the 2013 NFC wild card playoff football game at Lincoln Financial Field. The Saints won 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Eagles Fans Boo Too Much

In a surprising news quip this week, former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson pulled one more antic on the Philadelphia Eagles fans. Without playing a single game yet for his new team, and in the earliest phases of training camp, Jackson felt compelled to share with the reading audience :

"“(Fans) are very supportive here.  You know they are open and being out here on the field I’ve been hearing certain things but they’re good things.  You know, in Philly sometimes things can get a little negative and they can boo their own players but here, you know, you don’t really get that.” – DeSean Jackson"

I’m a little surprised.  To understand the comparative value, Jackson played in Philly for quite a few years, admitted that contract negotiations adversely affected his play on the field, and was a member of the team that fell to 8-8 and then to 4-12.

That same player, who is now a Washington Redskin, has played in … um… but in preseason… um… well … he’s had a couple training sessions.

The event was a catalyst once more to the national media’s annual quest to run the “snow ball santa” story  and to demonize the Philadelphia fan base as a whole.  But it seems to me that the boos that do rain down upon a team that misses passes and tackles, which coughs up the ball routinely to the opposition, and which shoots itself in the foot during games it could win, there are worse things than a few boos.   To hear boos, the stands have to be filled.  Fan Support?  Check.   To hear boos, the fans have to be plugged into the game and recognize poor performance.  Knowledgeable fan base?  Check.

Before this gets too out of hand, I want to point out that there are worse things Philadelphia fans could do.    There was a song from the movie “Grease. Theater viewing. Directed by Warren Casey. Pleasantville, N.Y.: EAV, 1982., named There are worse things I could do, which I am certain you can recall the tune to.    This is my parody version of that song, to remind some of the players that there are worse things than an occasional shower of boos from the stands:

There are worse things we could do
Than shower players with our boos
Even though the NFL
thinks Philly is a living hell,
I suppose it could be true
But there are worse things we could do.

We could cheer the other guys
when they score and to their surprise
Ask them for their signatures
While our own players stand demure
Then refuse to applaud ours too
That’s a thing we’d never do

We could stay home every night
Wait around until we got it right
stop reading box scores every day
And throw our season tickets away
On a team that won’t win a few

We could hurt other teams fans who are just like me
like west coast fans do constantly
We don’t bandwagon and we don’t lie
But we feel each loss until we cry
A fact I’ll bet you players never knew.
But all we have left that we CAN do
shower bad field play with our boos.

But we won’t. The Philadelphia Eagles are family, and everyone knows family doesn’t turn a blind eye.