For many sports fans, the National Football League (NFL) playoffs are the best time of the year. In many parts of the country, a chill in the air and a dusting of snow on the ground can only mean one thing: The race for the Super Bowl is on. Philadelphia and Green Bay, home to National Football Conference (NFC) powerhouses the Eagles and the Packers respectively, are two of those places. These two cities—while more than 1,500 kilometres apart, and with Philadelphia over 10 times larger in population—have more in common than you might think, with passionate fanbases and high expectations coming into the playoff season. 

This passion, while admirable, can cause serious issues if it boils over. A major concern in sports viewership is the well-being of women spectators in stadiums. In a survey conducted by Sportsbook Review, 44.7 per cent of women reported feeling unsafe being alone in their home football stadiums, let alone being a visiting fan. Being surrounded by rowdy football fans, especially in intense situations, can be a threat to the safety of women fans. For one fan, this threat became reality on Jan. 12 in Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, when the hometown Eagles played the Packers in a heated Wild Card battle. Ally Keller and her fiancé, Alex Basara, attended the game in support of the Packers. Being an away fan in a hostile environment is a difficult undertaking, but typically, the home fans stay civil. However, at the Sunday game, tensions came to a high when the Packers were ruled short on what would have been a crucial touchdown. Basara made a comment that while the Packers may not have scored, they were still within a yard of the end zone and likely would score a touchdown on the next play.

That’s when the conflict, which has since been seen by millions on social media, began. Eagles fan Ryan Caldwell seemingly took issue with Keller and Basara’s reaction to the play, saying that the Packers “were still not in [the end zone].” After Basara explained his reasoning for being optimistic, Caldwell proceeded to go on a misogynistic rant against Keller, calling her (amongst other remarks) an “ugly dumb c***.” In statements to the press, Basara noted that the comments had begun as soon as the couple sat in their seats, with the occasional playful jab turning into more serious insults, culminating in the video posted to Basara’s X account. Internet sleuths quickly discovered Caldwell’s identity, and his employer, consulting firm BCT Partners, announced in a statement on their X account that Caldwell was let go from the company.

While the Eagles went on to defeat the Packers 22-10 and look to face the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional round, the incident between Caldwell and the two visiting Packers fans left a sour taste in the mouths of Philadelphia fans who have been fighting to restore the image of their city. Hard-working and blue-collar, Philadelphia has long held a reputation for belligerent fans itching for the chance to get into fights with anyone who will oblige. Some of these stereotypes are not entirely unfounded: The Eagles’ former home, Veterans Stadium, had its own jail for unruly fans, a feature added to Lincoln Financial Field during its construction that was later scrapped. However, passionate fans do not lead to conflict, and this incident should not further the negative opinions people may have about Philadelphia and its fans.

The unfortunate reality faced by countless women who simply want to attend games in peace is that sports fandom can be a “boys’ club,” and this incident is a telling example of how gender can be a barrier to entry for women sports fans. Not one person stepped in to help Keller against Caldwell’s stream of misogyny besides her fiancé. If just one of Caldwell’s friends seen beside him in the video cautioned him, Keller may have had a positive game day experience and Caldwell may well still be employed. This behaviour will continue unless it is made clear that it will not be tolerated by fellow man sports fans. The fact that Caldwell was punished for his actions is encouraging, but it is abundantly clear that there is more work to be done.