There is no second-guessing which fans in the NFL have the roughest reputation. It is the fans of the Philadelphia Eagles by a good mile, and the reputation has been a lasting one over the years. To this day, Eagles fans continue to be perceived around the NFL as some of the most unpleasant fans in the league, so much so that some players will advise their family not to make the road trip to Philly for a game.
The Washington Redskins are making the trip up I-95 for Monday Night Football against the Eagles this week, but Washington running back Chris Thompson will not let his family join him in Lincoln Financial Field.
“I heard that’s the one stadium you keep your family from going to,” Thompson said in a radio interview with ESPN 980. “My family will be here this week, and they were like, ‘I want to come to the Philly game.’ I said, ‘Absolutely not, you’re going to have to wait until Dallas comes around.’ Because my stepdad, he’s a big guy. And if he starts fighting, it’ll be real bad out there. I was told that right away my rookie year: Keep your family away.”
Not surprisingly, Thompson ripped the fans of the Eagles (or perhaps he showered them in praise) by calling them the meanest fans he has come across.
“Philly fans are some of the meanest fans I’ve ever experienced, too,” Thompson said. “I went and prayed in the end zone, and one of the [fans] told me, he was like, ‘God’s not going to help you today.’ And I was like oh, shoot. I heard it while I was praying. I was like dang, all right, that’s a little harsh.”
Sure, it may sound a little harsh to interrupt a man in the middle of a prayer, but is that really something that would only happen in Philadelphia?
To fill the narrative of how mean Eagles fans can be, The Washington Post adds in stories of the Redskins team bus being pelted by eggs and kids flipping off the team as they make their way to or from the stadium. Fair enough, but again this is not something that is likely to be something you only see in Philadelphia. There have been some indefensible moments for Eagles fans over the years, but it really does take a thick skin to come to Philly and not have the fans get under your skin.
