Is It Acceptable to Wear Another Team's Jersey if It's Not a Rival's?

It seems I ruffled some feathers on good old Twitter last night. My friend and colleague Paige invited me to join her at a local Eagles bar here in Chicago to experience what it feels like to win a playoff game. For context: I’m a die-hard Miami Dolphins fan. Unfortunately, the Dolphins have been pretty terrible for most of my life. I’m 25 years old and have yet to see them win a playoff game. So, when Paige extended the invite to watch a team potentially win a game (something I’ve never experienced as a fan), I jumped at the chance.

Here’s the thing—I’ve always felt like I’m a Philly fan at heart who just happens to root for South Florida teams. So, this was a win-win scenario for me. Paige even brought me an A.J. Brown Kelly Green Eagles jersey to wear. In my opinion, it’s the second-best jersey in all of sports (right behind the Miami Dolphins throwbacks), so I happily put it on. We snapped a photo together—because, you know, “When in Rome.” After the Eagles won, I made the rookie mistake of posting that picture on Twitter.

Naturally, Twitter did its thing. People assumed Paige and I were fucking (we’re not) and accused me of being a fake fan (I’m not). Both accusations are false, but it got me thinking about why people get so worked up over someone wearing another team’s jersey. To me, it’s not that deep. As long as it’s not a rival team, who cares?

The Dolphins and Eagles don’t have bad blood—aside from the movie Ace Ventura, of course. They play each other once every four years and are in different conferences. What’s the harm in me putting on a Birds jersey for a game? It’s no different than wearing a random basketball jersey to happy hour—it’s all about the vibes. And considering I was at an Eagles bar, I was just matching the energy.

So, I stand by my belief: wearing another team’s jersey is fine as long as it’s not a division rival. It’s all in good fun, and sports are supposed to be about bringing people together—right?