By now, it is pretty clear what the narrative is about Philly fans. People hate us so much that it is somehow our fault that the Sixers just had one of the biggest collapses in the history of this city. I promise Philly sports fans aren’t that bad. We only sell out the arena every game in support of the teams. We blindly crown each team contenders before each season. We support basketball players who refuse to shoot or work on their game. But it’s our fault?

Both Dwight Howard and Danny Green have made criticisms of Philly fans over the last few weeks. But, rather than holding themselves accountable, they are saying we have to be better. Meaning the people who work their tails off to afford tickets to watch these millionaires play a sport.

To no surprise, it took a former Philadelphia Eagles player to set the narrative straight. The sports franchise that is the heartbeat and pulse of the city. There was no celebration quite like the Eagles Super Bowl parade back in 2017. Former Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was asked at the 2021 Mid Penn Bank Celebrity Golf Tournament what his thoughts were about the fans:

“That’s real. That’s a real thing. I didn’t experience it until I got here, but I learned to embrace it. It made me better. Coming into the stadium, I always felt like you’ve got to be a crowd-pleaser. That’s what they expect. They went and got the ‘chip a couple years ago, now the expectations are higher. You wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Mike gets it. As a player who received a ton of criticism for actions on and off the field, his opinion holds a lot of weight in this discussion. Michael Vick didn’t even win one playoff game in his tenure here in Philadelphia. However, due to his work ethic and will to win, we loved him for it. Not to mention the dedication he made off the field to better himself too.

Vick put up the best passing numbers of his career on the Eagles. So yeah, we do make players better. All we ask is you show up every day and give it your all. If you don’t do that, then you’re going to be held accountable.

 Mandatory Credit: Matt Slocum | AP