Maybe This Year
When did Philly have more specifically the fans start to get the reputation they have today? This question was asked by one of my fellow classmates, and this question can be answered pretty easily after watching the documentary “Maybe This Year”. This Documentary is a story on the Philadelphia Eagles and how they finally won their first Super Bowl, and showing the perspective from die hard eagles fans. “Maybe This Year” stars eagles fans Shirley Dash, Barry Vagnoni, and Jesse Callsen. It starts off in September of 2017 when the Eagles season begins. First we meet Shirley, she calls into a radio station where she expresses her feelings about the Eagles. As Shirley shows emotions about the previous game she says “I love my Eagles, I love my team, I ride or die for em’. But they gotta wanna do the same thing for us. They got to want to do the same thing for the fans.” In season she refers to herself as “Eagles Shirley” where she’s a passionate fan even when the Eagles don’t win.
Next we are introduced to Barry Vagnoni, he built an addition onto his house to make “an Eagles locker room” this was a place where he can have his friends and family over for all game days. This place was huge, it was like they had their own bar right in the backyard. We one the locker room was filled with love and cheering. Unfortunately Barry had suffered from a heart attack, thankfully he was alright thanks to his doctors. His anesthesiologist had said “ Oh no this is that Eagles nut, we can’t let anything happen to him ‘cause they’ve never won a Super Bowl. We’ve got to keep him alive for when they finally win a Super Bowl.” That was such an amazing moment to watch because it shows how others can care for people they don’t even know. Barry had admitted that he cares so much but he can’t keep taking these losses to heart to where it affects him, but that just shows how fans are. During the documentary you get to watch Barry prepare for this moment of the game against the Vikings.
Jesse is our last fan we are introduced to as he talks about bringing his own child into the world in an Eagles onesie. When Jesse was growing up he was introduced to the game by his father. Jesse said “ as a kid you think, why does he care so much.” and now being the same big fan like his dad he understands. His father ended up battling with brain cancer where he decided no matter what he would be watching these games with his dad. Jesse expresses how much he wants the Eagles to win not just for him but for his father, saying “it would be a blessing and a miracle all at the same time”.
Each week they interview new fans and give updates on where they are standing. This was the year that we ended our season 13-3. The last 20 minutes was showing the main event, Super Bowl LII. We got to see the excitement but also the pressure and worry in the fans' faces. They played the final drive where Tom Brady threw the ball for the last uncompleted pass, fans immediately knew that the Eagles were finally Super Bowl Champions. They played reactions from Shirley, Barry, and Jesse, absolutely priceless, an unforgettable moment. There was screaming and there were tears but it was all from pure joy, the fans finally got what they wanted. Now I go back to my question of where the fans get the reputation from. Leading after the game fans filled the broad street to celebrate. They may not always be the most pleasant people, but they will do anything for their team. Earlier in the documentary there were clips from a tailgate, fans getting excited, setting off fireworks, being the usual idiots. But these fans are so passionate, I know I may be a fan myself but I even got emotional seeing how these fans were celebrating. I remember the moment myself, the feeling of finally winning, being nervous all day until the game was finally over. If you are not a fan or don’t follow sports this is a must watch of what to see when you will encounter Eagles fans.
