Tale of the tape: Bills fans vs. Eagles fans
Philadelphia Eagles fans were voted most annoying in a recent player poll from The Athletic but how do they compare with fans of the Buffalo Bills, their next opponent? Let’s find out.
Attire
According to NFL.shop.com, Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts topped all NFL players in jersey sales last month. Bills quarterback Josh Allen had the ninth-best-selling jersey, five spots behind Eagles center Jason Kelce who also outsold his brother Travis.
Numbers don’t lie, but colors can be tricky. There’s something to be said about a Bills’ fan base in red, white and blue for a uniquely American sport like football. On the other hand, Eagles fans aren’t very fond of their team’s current midnight green color. Why else would they camp out all night to buy throwback kelly green merchandise?
Some Bills fans like to wear foam buffalo wing hats to the games, but not many. The same goes for Philly fans and their cheesesteak headgear. Both teams have face painters, but we’ll gladly look the other way.
Verdict: The Bills have classic colors but Eagles fans will wear anything with a logo. Advantage, Eagles fans.
Song
“Fly, Eagles Fly” isn’t exactly Mozart, but at least it’s original. Bills fans like to sing the Isley Brothers’ “Shout” when their team scores a touchdown. “Shout” is a great song but remains best suited for toga parties at the Delta House.
Philadelphia’s anthem started in the 1950’s but went missing for decades as the team struggled to win games. A shorter, faster version resurfaced in the late 1990’s and can be heard before, during and after Eagles games.
Verdict: Philadelphia loses points for their lapse, but scores big for frequency of use. Advantage, Eagles fans.
Internet
According to Steve Nitz of logicalmediagroup.com, the Buffalo Bills tied four other teams for third place with 2,240,000 internet searches per month in 2022. Philadelphia tied four other teams for tenth place with 1,500,000 monthly searches.
Since 2018, only four teams averaged more monthly searches than Buffalo who tied the Chiefs for 5th place. Philadelphia is noticeably absent, which makes this an easy decision.
Verdict: We have no idea what Eagles fans are doing on the internet and we don’t want to know. Advantage, Bills fans.
Food and drink
Buffalo is synonymous with chicken wings while Philadelphia is known for their cheesesteaks. Both go perfectly with beer and football, but only one really works in a tailgate setting. Wings cook perfectly on a cheap charcoal grill, cheesesteaks not so much.
Verdict: Buffalo wings and football were made for each other. Thank you, Buffalo. Advantage, Bills fans
Behavior
Both teams have passionate, outspoken fans that are eager to demonstrate their allegiance to the team. That’s good most of the time but sometimes those loyalties get out of hand.
Walk around Highmark Stadium before a Bills game and you’ll see members of the “Bills Mafia” eagerly throwing each other through tables. Wear another team’s jersey to an Eagles game and you too may go crashing through a table, albeit less voluntarily. Also, don’t use the word “mafia.”
Verdict: It’s a tie. We appreciate the enthusiasm on both sides but let’s leave the physical contact to the players on the field.
The Buffalo Bills travel to face the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field this Sunday at 4:25 p.m.
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