January 18, 2018
Traveling fans of the Minnesota Vikings will enter Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday night to find a stadium full of Eagles diehards wearing German Shepherd masks.
They might be wiser to skip the trip and hope the Vikings come back home to play in Super Bowl LII. The atmosphere in South Philadelphia is potentially hazardous, a local news segment warned fans.
Minneapolis-based FOX9 put together a buyer-beware piece on the popular travel deal offered by Sun Country Airlines. The local charter company is charging $599 to fans who want to travel to Philadelphia at 8 a.m., watch the NFC Championship game and return to Minneapolis at 1 a.m.
Drew Baydala, a representative for Minneapolis-based Ticket King, was adamant that Vikings fans take precautions in Philly — especially if the Eagles lose.
Vikings fans are funny, man: pic.twitter.com/lLWSmwU6wT
— Life of a Philly Fan (@PhillyFanLife) January 17, 2018
"If the Vikings win, yes, I would take off any sort of, like, colors," Baydala said. "I know it sounds ridiculous, like we're almost talking about gangs here, but it's no joke down in Philly. It really isn't."
Eagles fans may well be the most vocal and vulgar in the NFL, but reports from around the country over the years have tended to show that violence can break out between fans of any teams. Even on a stage as big as the NFC Championship, Eagles fans are highly experienced at managing the emotions of losing in gut-wrenching fashion, should it come to that.
What Minneapolis should really be worrying about is what will happen if Eagles fans flood their city for the Super Bowl.
