For the second time in five years, the Philadelphia Eagles have reached the Super Bowl. The Eagles enter the Super Bowl coming off a convincing 31-7 rout of the San Francisco 49ers. Led by star quarterback Jalen Hurts, the Eagles look to their final challenge: a February 12 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Despite the Eagles’ high level of success in the NFL, some students and faculty at MFS do not believe that an adequate amount of enthusiasm or excitement is shared by the community. Even non-Eagles fans, including Andrew Mercantini ’23, noticed the lack of enthusiasm: “I’ve seen a little bit of Eagles gear, maybe from some hardcore fans, but I mean, there was more hype for the Phillies in the playoffs than there is for this … honestly it’s disappointing.”
Ahead of the game, Ben Buchdahl ’26 had a rallying message to send fellow Eagles fans at MFS, “We’re not being hype enough; we gotta support our team. Go Birds!”
However, some claim that the energy is there; it just pales in comparison to the 2018 Super Bowl, as history teacher Clark Thomson noted, “I … think the energy is a little less than I remember last time [the Eagles] were in the Super Bowl.” Thomson suggested that the lack of energy is due to the fact that their previous Super Bowl appearance in 2018 was their first in 13 years, whereas now it has only been five years since their last trip to the big game.
Mercantini criticized the lack of energy, stating, “But, you know… Philly fans, people hype them up to be these … mean people, but they don’t even support their team that much, to be honest.” Among other fanbases, the Eagles’ is regarded as one of the largest in the nation. Being in close proximity to Philadelphia, MFS has an abundance of Eagles fans, making the relatively low energy surprising. With roots in the “City of Brotherly Love,” the Eagles have a dedicated and supportive fanbase: “It’s like family here … we look out for each other. Philly teams always look out for each other,” Justin Lewis ’26 remarked.
When it comes to the Eagles winning the game, there is no lack of confidence in that department. “We’ve always been the best team in the nation. It’s just taken a key, and I think we found that key: that’s Jalen Hurts,” commented Bodhi Vance-Harris ’26. Hurts is coming off a Pro Bowl season where he threw for 35 total touchdowns and 3,701 yards. Additionally, the Eagles’ star wide receivers, AJ Brown and Devonte Smith have been consistently getting open and providing easy targets for Hurts.
Leading up to Friday, this lack of spirit was apparent; however, in an email from Director of Marketing and Communications Mike Schlotterbeck, students were asked to wear green or Eagles’ gear on the Friday before the game, and an Eagles pep rally was held in the oval for Middle and Upper School students. Many students wore Eagles’ gear, but attendance at the pep rally was minimal among Upper School students, as the majority of attendees were Middle School students.
More reason for spirit is the milestone that the game sets for the NFL, as this is the first game where both teams have a Black starting quarterback, Hurts for the Eagles, and Patrick Mahomes for the Chiefs. Milestones aside, it’s set up to be a riveting game whether or not the team spirit at MFS shows it.
