Superbowl 2025

A question I have been repeatedly asked is why I support the Philadelphia Eagles and how I came about to even start watching American Football.

I have always been a fan of sports. I was introduced to watching sports by my beloved uncle and Hero (Uncle B). The only two consistent things that were always on the TV when I was growing up were sports and news channels. I would frequently look at the TV and watch different sports teams. Specifically, we would watch football or soccer, as my American friends call it. So, really, I developed such a great love for the sport, and some of my most memorable moments growing up were watching soccer with my family. The highlight of them all been the 2012 Africa Cup, when Zambia won the championship. The team my uncle supported was Arsenal so I became, and I have since been an Arsenal fan. When I lost my uncle, I stopped watching soccer, it didnt matter if Zambia was playing or not. It became a great reminder of pain to see the game and know that the man who introduced me to it was not here anymore. 

It so happened that I met Xavien, who happens to love sports as much as I do. When we first met, he would watch football and I would be reluctant to watch it with him or even ask him about it. The year I met him was actually the year the Eagles went to the Superbowl in 2022. I remember him saying “oh no so the Eagles will lose the Superbowl by a field goal” and then he put the laptop away and never talked about it again. But this left a lasting impression on me, I started asking him questions about what this Eagles team was all about. When the 2023 season began, I was determined to learn football and organically, I just decided that I was an Eagles fan. Then we started watching the game together and slowly by slowly I started to learn all about this wonderful game. In the process I even learnt that the Quarterback is indeed an OU alum, this athlete walked the same university corridors that am currently walking. That sealed the deal for me. The Eagles was my team. I was all in at this points. And slowly I began to heal, with every game, I began to find joy in watching sports again and what was once a reminder of pain bacame a way for me to remember my uncle in Joy and to keep his memory alive through our shared love for sports.

I learned the all the names of the players on the roster, I read into their sports background, they are more than athletes, they carry deep stories that shape who they have become and inspire them to do what they do. Some of these athletes have overcome great adversity and are constantly scrutinized. It takes a lot of mental toughness to challenge themselves to compete at the highest level knowing that if they miss a pass, miss a fieldgoal or fail to tackle, they are been seen. Its like doing doing your 9-5 on a big screen and everyone can see when you fumble. These athletes' greatest and most embarrassing moments are all televised. And I know it comes with it since heavy is the head that wears a crown but I think social media can be very mean, people say all sorts things in the media, I mean really terrible things and athletes have to get up the next game and still compete and be their best self. I have simply learned a lot about getting back up when you get down, about challenging myself and pushing myself to be the best that I can be. I realize now that there was more to sports than cheering up and down that my uncle was trying to teach me. 

The 2023 season for the eagles started great. I mean we went 10 and 0, undefeated in the first 10 games  and as a new fan, I was having an incredible time. Then all of a sudden in the 11th game, it was like all hell broke lose, we started losing terribly. People were wondering what had gone wrong, some speculated it was a looker room issue others even started calling for the coach to be fired. We made it to the playoffs but we were kicked out in he first round. It was simply devastating. 

I followed the team even during the 2024 off season, I even got to learn about the draft process and noticed the excitement about some of draft picks we got, of particular note, Cooper Dejean and Quinyon Mitcell. They promised to be great additions to our defense which had struggled in the 2023 season. Then a man by the name Saquon Barkley was added, the team and the fans were very excited about this trade from the giants team. He promised to be the game changer for our team. I watched all his interviews and signing with the organization and I was looking forward to see what this massive hype was all about him since I had never seen him play. From following the team during off season I could see that there was something special for the eagles in 2024 and I was all here for it. 

Then the long awaited season was finally here. My sunday afternoons were officially booked. We started off the season in Brazil (the NFL effort to make football more global). It was such an exciting game and I could already see what other Eagles fans were talking about, this man Saquon barkley was not to be played with, he is indeed a force to reckon with and blessed with an incredible talent. And the rookies Cooper Dejean and Quinyon Mitchell were extraordianlly picks for our defense. We were looking great as a team to say the least. Of course I was ecstatic to see my favorite player across field, Jalen Hurts. Thrilled to see my favourite receiver DeVonte Smith and everyone else on the roster, our star player AJ Brown, our incredible Tide End Dallas Goedert. 

But by week 5, we had lost two games and won 2, this created a lot of media scrutiny. The media was basically saying, with the kind of roster we had, our team shouldnt have lost the two games we lost and that if we didnt figure it out, this season would end pretty early for us. People started calling for Coach Siriani to be fired and called Jalen the weak link of the team. I was devastated but hopeful that my team would figure it out.

And we sure did, after we came back from the by-week, we were unstoppable, Saquon Barkley was unleashed, I mean he was frequenlty hitting home runs like it was no mans business, our O-line was simply incredible. He even jumped over a defender backwards, something that  had never been seem in football history. It  was a great time to be an eagles fan. We were simply winning. But the media still found something to complain about, talking about Jalen cant throw the ball, that he was holding the ball too long and that if the eagles continued to only rely on the run game, they would stumble in the playoffs and be sent to Cancun in the first playoff game lol . They wanted to see some explosive plays on our offense, some deep balls to DeVonte Smith  or something, some one-handed catches to AJ Brown or something. But the team team together, they shut out the noise and did what they needed to do to continue winning. They even played a game in which the run was shut down and the passing game came in clutch showing that really it wasnt that they couldnt throw the ball but that they didnt need to throw since the run game was working really well. Jalen came in after that high passing game and said “so thats what you wanted to see huh”. It was hilarious and yet revealing, that yes these players shut out the noise but some times it gets too loud that they have no option but to hear it. It strongly speaks to the resilience that these players have.

In no time we made it to the playoffs, we were in fact one of the first teams to clinch the playoffs. With two games remaining in the regular season, Jalen got hurt during a game with the Washington commanders, one of our divisional rivals. He got a concussion injury, you could tell when he got up that he was indeed hurt but Jalen being the fighter that he is, he got up and told the referee he was okay, but they went and examined him and he was taken out without any word of when he would be cleared for protocol. Kenny Picket, our backup QB took over. We ended up losing that game, making it the first game we lost since the by-week. I was really hoping Jalen could come back in the next game but he didnt, we however still won with Kenny Picket who later got injured and our 2nd backup QB ​​Tanner McKee had to come in, we won that game against Dallas cowboys and even won the next game against the giants. The game against the giants had a lot of news around it because it was during that game that Saquon  had a chance to break the regular season rushing yards record which was set for decades but the organization decided that starters would rest during that game to allow them to get enough rest  and avoid any injuries to the starters before the playoffs. And Saqaun was on board with the teams decision, he put aside his own personal ambition in pursuit of something greater alongside his teamates.

And here we were, the playoffs were here and the team we started the season with, the green Bay packers were the ones we were playing against. It was a high intensity game and honestly it was a very good matchup. With Jalen Hurts having missed the last 3 games, it was a bit concerning, was he gonna be prepared and sharp enough to play? He was, the whole team was. It was however a low passing rate game and once again the media went crazy about how jalen was holding the team back and how we werent superbowl bound. The next game was the divisional round and we played against the rams. Honestly this was the scariest game I had watched all season. 4 minutes from the end of the game, we were leading and the game seemed over, then the rams caught flame out of nowhere, they scored two touchdowns and we were up only by 3 points. On the Last drive, the rams offense on the field, and we were only 3 points ahead. They quikly got to the end zone, with few second left in the game, the rams had the opportunity to score a touchdown and their player dropped the ball in the endzone, I mean if he caught that ball, it was game over for us. But we won! literally thats all I could say after that game “we won”, I coudlnt believe it, it was so close. Too close! We made it to the NFC conference Championship game, we were going to play the commanders, for the third time this season. This game, wow, we came out and we showed out, it was the highest scoring game for us all season, we scored 55 points and the commanders were no match at all. We were superbowl bound! 

You woudnt guess who were set to play against. The chiefs! The same team we lost the superbowl to, two years ago. What are the odds. Yet here we were, all the hardwork, all the resilience, everything came down to this moment right here. News channels were all hyping the chiefs as they were set to make history by been the first team ever to win the superbowl 3 times in a row. And we were on the hunt to win what others called a revenge game. I had seen how special this team was, all that we had endured. The players really needed this one, it was a redemption game. A moment for Jalen Hurts to seal his name as a superbowl Champion and prove all the doubters wrong. We came in ready. We didnt even give the chiefs a chance to figure it out, I mean it was like they were not there, our defensensive players were in their form and our offense in their element. We were simply unstoppable! Jalen Hurts was shining on the highest stage, Devonte caught what I believe was the pass of the season, AJ Brown was there beating defenders on every play. Our Kicker jake Elliot was clutch, having struggled to make some kicks during the season, I honestly was worried about Jake, but right there when it mattered most, on the biggest stage, he made every kick. I would have never expected the superbowl to be the most relaxing game to watch as an eagles fan but I loved sitting there and soaking in the joy of winning by a great margin. I sang the fight song over and over, danced around, jumped, screamed, it was truly a moment to remember. We won superbowl 59! We scored a touch down 1,2,3, we hit them high, we hit them low. What a season, what a team, what a beauty to behold the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Fly eagles Fly!