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No sitcom embodies the spirit of Philadelphia sports fans more than It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The raucous, ill-mannered gang bleeds for Philadelphia sports — particularly the Phillies in the MLB, and the Eagles in the NFL. They’ve concocted riot punch, climbed through sewer tunnels, and racked up parking fines when the Phillies won the World Series, and rode in questionable transportation to watch the Eagles play in the 2018 Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. (The episode was fictional, but aired just months after the Eagles won that Super Bowl in real life.)
All that makes sense when the cast is playing their characters from the show given how Philly-centric the series is. But a few of the stars are Philadelphia fans in real life, too. While It’s Always Sunny capitalized on the sports teams’ successes in the past, their real-life counterparts were pretty thrilled about it, too. Here’s who will be celebrating the Eagles’ return to Super Bowl 57.
‘It’s Always Sunny’ characters are diehard Philadelphia Eagles fans
It’s Always Sunny is now the longest-running comedy on television, with Season 16 filming underway. The gang is all cast as devoted — if depraved — sports fans, including the Eagles. Paddy’s Pub janitor Charlie Kelly (Charlie Day) is perhaps the most loyal fan, even if he was left off the bus traveling to the Eagles’ Super Bowl in the Season 13 episode, “The Gang Wins the Big Game.” He is the one with the Green Man suit that he dons at every opportunity, after all.
Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito) treats the crew to the trip, but it goes awry quickly. (True to form though, the egotistical gang takes credit for “helping” the Birds win the game later in the episode.) In real life, Day told TMZ he is actually a Patriots fan. This is somewhat ironic, considering the Eagles beat the Patriots in that game.
Throughout the years, the gang has proven their devotion to the hometown Philly team. Dennis Reynolds (Glenn Howerton) didn’t mind paying taxes when he realized the funds went to a new Eagles training facility. Sweet Dee Reynolds (Kaitlin Olson) powered through a double eye infection to attend the Super Bowl — even if no one wanted her there. But Mac (Rob McElhenney) is the one who claims he “bleeds green,” — both on the screen and in real life.
Rob McElhenney is a lifelong Eagles fan in real life
McElhenney grew up in South Philadelphia, and is a lifelong Eagles fan. He’s passionate about sports in general, and recently bought Wrexham AFC, a British soccer team, with Ryan Reynolds. He and Reynolds are attempting to lift the third-oldest soccer club beyond its current status several rungs below the Premier League. McElhenney is used to being devoted to beleaguered franchises, as GQ points out. Despite recent success, the Phillies were the first MLB team to rack up 10,000 losses. And this year, the Eagles are competing for only their second Super Bowl win in the NFL’s history.
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January 29 was a big sports day for McElhenney. Wrexham played in the fourth round of the FA Cup and the Eagles played in the NFC Championship game. “Much like the Eagles and the city of Philadelphia, the club is the beating heart of that community,” McElhenney said in an interview with ESPN, clad in a Wrexham scarf and Eagles sweatshirt, standing outside of Lincoln Financial Field where the Eagles play. “It is just a huge foundational part of their soul.” McElhenney said he planned to tailgate in the Eagles’ stadium parking lot, joined by his family and friends.
Now, the Always Sunny crew will have a chance to perhaps cheer on the Birds again in person. When the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018, McElhenney, Olson (his wife in real life), and DeVito chartered a private jet to attend the game in person, according to Moviefone. DeVito supports the team when they’re in the playoffs and Super Bowl. But he considers himself a New Yorker and thus a Giants fan at heart, he admitted in a Wired interview. As the Eagles scored a touchdown to seal the win that year, you can hear Olson in the Tweet above screaming in jubilation off-camera, and McElhenney yelling, “They did it! They did it!”
After the 2018 Super Bowl, ESPN posted a clip on Facebook of Philadelphia fans reveling in the streets, paired with the It’s Always Sunny theme music. The clip then cuts to black with the show’s signature font and episode title screen, this time with the words, “The Gang Wins the Super Bowl.” To kick off the current 2022-23 season, ESPN did a crossover “episode“” on Monday Night Football introducing new members of the Eagles lineup, but with numerous Easter eggs from the show.
It remains to be seen if McElhenney and other cast members will attend the upcoming Super Bowl to cheer on the Eagles once more. But in the meantime, they have been showing a strong front of support during the Eagles’ playoff run. In one clip posted by the Eagles to Twitter, McElhenney, Olson, DeVito, Day, and Howerton piece together quotes from each of them saying, “It’s a Philly thing,” the current slogan of the Eagles team. They might not all be fans in real life, but their characters will certainly rally behind the green and black.
