Let me preface this post by saying I'm not one of those negative Eagles fans who always finds something wrong with every move the Eagles make. I've long been a Donovan McNabb supporter when he was here. Same goes with Andy Reid, though I have to admit my support there is waning.
My biggest annoyance with Eagles is not the players or coaches, it's the front office. More specifically it's Joe Banner, and to a lesser degree Jeff Lurie. Overall, they have put together a pretty nice franchise. For the past 10 or 11 years the Eagles have always been considered contenders going into the season. Winning the division and making the playoffs are expected each year. I don't have a problem with the product on the field, it's the arrogance and disconnect with the fan base that bothers me the most.
To me, Joe Banner defines arrogance. It was on full display in a recent interview on WIP. (Side note: Banner's interviews are hard to listen to. I just get the sense that he's talking down to everyone. He has an attitude of "I know what I'm talking about, I'm the president of the Eagles. You're just a fan, you have no idea").
In the interview, Banner compared the Eagles success over the last decade to that of the Steelers. Banner tried to make the case that the Steelers really aren't more successful than the Birds because Philly made the playoffs nine times in the last 11 years and Pittsburgh didn't. What he didn't mention was that the Eagles went to one Superbowl and lost, while the Steelers went to three and won two of them, in that span (3 > 1, 2 > 0). He defended this comparison on a subsequent interview with Mike Missanelli. Really Joe, really? I understand that he has to be confident in his team and be positive. You can achieve that without comparing the Eagles to a franchise that has won six Superbowls, two in the last decade. He refuses to even admit that, as much as the team has won, they ultimately can't be considered successful without winning a Superbowl.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey Lurie still insists that the Eagles franchise is the "gold standard". I think he threw that gem out there 3 or 4 years ago. Every year, in his state of the team address during training camp, he is asked about the gold standard comment. Are the Eagles still the gold standard? And every year he confirms that they are. I'd consider the birds to be more the bronze standard. We have been consistent, but we've never finished first.
As much as I don't want to believe it, I think Lurie and Banner are OK with this. Why? Because the team is pretty much printing money down at the Linc. Fans are packing the stadiums, buying Eagles gear and supporting the team.
Which leads me to my next point, Banner and Lurie haven't done all that much to give back to the fan base that has turned this franchise into a billion dollar entity. I've noticed this more and more over the years. One example of this, which also relates to their arrogance, is the fact that the Eagles refuse to post scores in their stadium for other Philly sports teams. The Phillies were updating fans when the Flyers were in the playoffs last year. I remember I was at a Flyers game during a '93 world series game, the Flyers were giving constant updates with each inning or score change. The Eagles would never, and to my knowledge have never, updated fans with Phillies scores (or updates on any of the other local teams). It seems that the Eagles want to be top dog in this city and they don't want to share that designation with anyone else. It doesn't matter that the fans just want to be fans of all or most of the city's teams.
Another thing that irked me about this team was what they did with the Linc. They had the chance, and the money, to build an incredible fan friendly stadium. Big swing and a miss on that one. That stadium is bare bones, just a field surrounded by tons of steel. There is nothing to it, nothing that enhances the fan experience. It was never more evident to me then after my trip to Green Bay to see the Eagles take on the Packers. The day before the game we took a tour of Lambeau Field, which had recently gone over some renovations. One aspect of the renovation was to add a nice atrium to the stadium. With this new addition came a huge sports bar, restaurant and even an arcade for the younger fans. Below the stadium is a Packers museum consisting of all types of memorabilia and Packers history. (I know the Eagles don't have as much history as the Packers, but they have been around for over 75 years now). The museum, along with the atrium, are open on non-game days as well.
Fans don't have to go as far as Green Bay to see this point illustrated, they can just look right across Pattison Ave. The Phillies did it right with their fan friendly stadium. They've made going to the ball game an experience. They put Ashburn Alley in the outfield and attached a bar to the stadium. The stadium is open and inviting, as opposed to the cold and gray Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles didn't take the fan experience into account when building this stadium. They knew the fans would come, regardless of the stadium built, so why spend the extra money? It would have added no value to them. This is one of the many instances that demonstrates how they take the fans for granted.
This ownership is about the money, not the fans. I was just informed by a season ticket holder (thanks Dogg) that they already made him pay for his 2011 season tickets pending a lockout. The Eagles know that a 2011 season may not happen, but they want their money anyway. Sure, they will refund it, if need be, after they invested it and made money off of it. They don't care that they're making Eagles fans put out all this money for a product that they may never see. Again, why cater to the fan?
The Eagles have done a lot right with some of their charities and with the product on the field. But it doesn't hide the fact that this management and ownership don't seem fully invested in winning and pleasing the fans.
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