The hype and momentum in Philadelphia is reaching a fever pitch as excitement grows before the Eagles’ performance in Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4.
The Bowl couldn’t possibly be more dramatic for Philly, as it brings the Eagles face-to-face with their old nemesis, the Patriots.
The Pats bested the Birds in the 2005 Super Bowl, the last time the Eagles made it to the NFL’s championship game.
The Eagles have never won the Super Bowl, while the Patriots have won it five times over the last 15 years, all under the leadership of star QB Tom Brady. They won it in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015 and 2017.
Here are some of the ways Philly is gearing up for the truly epic game.
Pep Rally
Eagles cheerleaders and the Eagles Pep Band will be in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, for a pep rally at the headquarters of Ametek Inc., a corporation that has partnered in the past with the Eagles Charitable Foundation to benefit the public.
Through the partnership, Ametek offers the Eagles Eye Mobile and Glasses Lab, a traveling medical RV outfitted with the company’s vision diagnosis instruments. The program has distributed more than 55,000 pairs of glasses to underserved children and will be sending their vision-care RV to Minnesota for the Super Bowl.
American Revolution Museum renaming
The recently opened National Museum of the American Revolution in Old City has caught Eagles fever: On Thursday, they renamed the “Patriots’ Gallery” on the museum’s first floor as the “Eagles Gallery,” through Feb. 4.
They’re also offering 10 percent off eagle-related items in the gift shop, and giving $2 off admission to guests wearing Eagles or Patriots regalia. Yes, even Patriots fans — the museum boasted that it has Revolutionary War artifacts hailing from Boston that may be of interest to New Englanders as well.
But the Museum noted that George Washington sported Birds gear, namely the famed “Diamond Eagle” that’s currently on view at the museum.
Battle of the Beers
Two iconic breweries in the rival cities — Yard’s in Philly and Harpoon in Boston — have entered into a friendly wager over the big game. The losing team’s brewery will agree to have its staff wear the winning team’s jerseys for a day, while serving the other town beers.
In other words, after Super Bowl LII, it’s likely Harpoon staff in Boston will shamefacedly be wearing Nick Foles jerseys and pouring out Yards IPAs.
