I, along with the rest of Philadelphia, was watching television on Sunday night as the Philadelphia Eagles faced off against the Kansas City Chiefs in Superbowl LVII. As the game ended in a close yet disappointing loss, Philadelphians rushed to the streets. While most fans were respectful – looking for solace in their community, that didn’t stop the recklessness of some sports fans.
People rushed to the streets to climb lampposts, chant “F*ck the Chiefs,” set off fireworks, and commit other violent acts, like the car flip that happened right off campus on Arlington Street. Even when the Eagles won Superbowl LII, the reaction was intense. Fans took to the streets scaling lampposts, chanting “E-A-G-L-E-S”, and a few isolated acts of vandalism (Brochetto 2018).
Observers might say that these are just the actions of passionate, overzealous, and fiercely devoted fans. These wild actions are not only acknowledged but accepted in our society. As the game ended Sunday night, the city had prepared with law enforcement lining the street ready for the chaos that was no doubt about to take hold in Philadelphia.
It is time we talk about the stereotypes in fan culture.
Being a young woman, I have many times been dubbed a “fangirl,” for which there is a quite different vocabulary. Rather than being viewed as passionate and dedicated I am seen as “annoying”, “hysterical”, or “obsessive”. This stereotype is invalidating as it delegitimizes female-dominated interests and women in general.
The term fangirl came about in the era of rock and roll when the biggest stars were Elvis and Frank Sinatra, skyrocketing during the days of “Beatlemania,” (Elliot 2019). Fangirls have evolved since then. Benefiting not only the artists, actors, movies, books, and content that they love, but many take meaningful societal action.
“During the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, They raised one million dollars to match BTS’ contribution in just over 24 hours”. In 2021, “the Indian fanbase raised 2 million Rupees for COVID-19 relief in India in under 24 hours,” (Ganguly 2022) Even just recently fans, lovingly dubbed Swifties, brought the monopoly of Live Nation to the Department of Justice. All of this was done without a single street riot or act of vandalism.
While I understand the enthusiasm as a Philadelphia Eagles fan, I think that I would be remiss if I did not highlight this important and impactful perspective on female-dominated fanbases compared to male-dominated fanbases.