Led by quarterback Jalen Hurts and an intensely passionate fanbase, the Philadelphia Eagles made the Super Bowl, facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs. This was exciting news for many. A heartbreaking Phillies World Series loss compounded with notoriously long dry spells for other Philadelphia sports teams left many fans with a Super Bowl trophy sized hole in their heart.
So, when the time came, the city went all out. The prospect of a Super Bowl win got many people back into the sports world. Bars and watch parties were crowded with excited fans, shopfronts were decorated with the Eagles’ signature midnight green and white colors and countless fans partied in the streets following the divisional and conference round wins. City maintenance workers had to oil lampposts just to keep eager Philadelphians from climbing them in celebration.
This excitement in the city made its way to Bryn Mawr’s campus. Although Bryn Mawr is not an overwhelmingly sports inclined school, students, faculty, and administrators leaned into the spirit of the game with a newfound fervor. On Super Bowl Sunday, people donned their Eagles jerseys and apparel around campus, showing off their Philly pride. Students even hosted their own Super Bowl parties, decorating common rooms and putting their own spin on the football fun.
First year Rezwana Sarder talked about a Super Bowl party she attended on campus, saying “The atmosphere was really enthusiastic. There were green and black decorations up and everyone kept yelling ‘Go Birds.’ People were wearing jerseys, and those who didn’t have them were wearing team colors or DIY’d their own shirts.”
The college itself went all out for the game as well. The school hosted a pep rally the Saturday before the Super Bowl, Uncommon Grounds had a Loaded Chicken Nachos special, and Student Engagement hosted a watch party in the Campus Center.
Sophomore Evangeline Welch recapped her own Super Bowl experience, saying “I was in Bryn Mawr’s Campus Center when the game ended. Everyone in there had been really stressed in those final few minutes.”
Surprised by the intensity and infectious nature of the fandom, she went on to comment that “even as someone not from the area – and, in fact, in the past an ardent hater of the Eagles – I had heard about the energy in the city the last time the team won. I, like others, was really hoping to experience the joy of a Super Bowl win in Philadelphia.”
Although the Eagles went on to lose to the Chiefs in a heartbreaking 38-35 contest, Mawrters remained excited for the future. “I’m hopeful that they’ll come back next year and bring us a win,” Welch said, concluding with an emphatic, “Fly Eagles Fly!”
