A list of diehard Eagles fans in the DC press corps

Within the cutthroat world of Washington DC politics, there’s apparently one factor that brings collectively reporters and broadcasters like nothing else:

The Philadelphia Eagles.

A cabal of Birds followers infiltrate all ranges of Capitol journalism, per a narrative revealed in sports activities tradition outlet The Ringer. It’s all held collectively by a reply-all e-mail thread — “reasonably than a Slack channel, as a result of it consists of numerous Gen Xers,” reporter Bryan Curtis writes — that’s been going robust for greater than 5 years.

It began after a 2017 game-watching social gathering at a Capitol Hill bar, per the story, and its founders embody Philly U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle. The thread has now apparently grown to greater than 50 members.

A handful of the best-known members are named within the piece, however The Ringer doesn’t say the place their fandom got here from, and it’s not at all times apparent.

We sussed out some particulars. Learn on to seek out out why these self-proclaimed “Illuminati of Philly sports activities” root for the Birds.

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Jake Tapper, CNN

One of many highest-profile Eagles followers on the record. Tapper, a CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent, was born in NYC however raised within the Philly space. He grew up in Queen Village — his father had a pediatrics apply in South Philly — and went to highschool in Bryn Mawr. Regardless of a listing on The Hill itemizing Tapper’s present residence as Philadelphia, he’s lived within the DC space for the reason that Nineties, per this 2008 profile by Residence & Design.

Karen Travers, ABC Information

A local of Montgomery County who grew up in Blue Bell, the ABC Information correspondent has been an Eagles fan all her life. In a 1999 interview with the paper for her faculty alma mater, Travers recalled “a robust custom” of soccer operating by her household. Her mother and father received engaged on the Philadelphia Metropolis All-Star foot​ball recreation, and he or she helped out on the sidelines when her dad was a highschool coach.

Eamon Javers, CNBC

Now CNBC’s senior Washington correspondent, Javers grew up in Philadelphia and attended Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, graduating from the personal highschool in 1990. He’s lived within the DC space for a minimum of a decade, per an writer bio at HarperCollins, however nonetheless refers to himself as a “born and raised Philly boy.”

Ken Vogel, New York Occasions

An previous bio at Politico, the place Vogel was chief investigative reporter by 2017, describes him as rising up “in Philadelphia,” however his present web page on the New York Occasions is extra correct. The Washington bureau reporter is from Cheltenham, Montgomery County. He lower his enamel protecting politics in Harrisburg for the Occasions Chief in Wilkes-Barre.

Hallie Jackson, NBC/MSNBC

The senior Washington correspondent for NBC Information and contributor to MSNBC, Jackson grew up in Yardley, Bucks County. She retains robust ties with Pennsbury Excessive Faculty, the place she graduated in 2002, providing present college students encouragement. Her Eagles fandom stayed robust all through, even when was working for WTAE in Pittsburgh (as an previous bio disclaims, “Sorry Steeler Nation”).

Justin Sink, Bloomberg Information

Like a number of of the youthful members of this record, there’s not loads of private information on-line about Sink — so it’s unclear precisely the place his Philly sports activities ties originate. A White Home correspondent for Bloomberg Information who beforehand labored at The Hill, he at the moment lives in DC, per the White Home Correspondents Affiliation, however is most undoubtedly additionally a Sixers fan.

Ryan Grim, The Intercept

The Intercept’s DC bureau chief who beforehand labored for Politico, Grim grew up on Maryland’s japanese shore, the place he graduated from Kent County Excessive Faculty in 1996. He additionally went to varsity in Maryland. Nonetheless, he’s been “an Eagles fan [his] entire life” — possibly his mother and father had been from Philly? — and has tweeted about them since a minimum of 2009.

Kasie Hunt, CNN

Hunt, an anchor and chief nationwide affairs analyst for CNN, was born in Michigan however grew up on the Primary Line, in Wayne. She graduated in 2003 from Conestoga Excessive Faculty, and fondly remembers attending Eagles video games on the Vet. She returned to Philadelphia final spring to have mind surgical procedure at Penn.

Paul Kane, Washington Put up

Kane grew up in Montgomery County, and went to varsity on the College of Delaware. He received his begin at Roll Name, the place he received a 2004 Nationwide Press Basis award, and since 2007 has been on the Washington Put up, the place he’s now senior congressional correspondent and columnist — however nonetheless advertises himself as a “devotee of Philly Sports activities” in his Twitter bio.

Charlie Mahtesian, Politico

When Mahtesian returned to Politico, the place he’s now senior politics editor, after two years with NPR, the outlet referred to him in its launch as “a Philly native.” He truly grew up in Delco and as soon as labored at Wawa, per his Twitter account, the place his bio describes him as a “fan of small cities and massive cities. Particularly Philadelphia.”

Tony Romm, Washington Put up

The congressional financial coverage reporter at The Washington Put up, Romm was beforehand a tech reporter, which can clarify why he’s been good about preserving private information off the web. However there’s sufficient to find the place his Birds ties come from: he’s from Bucks County, per Levittown Now, which calls him a Bristol Township native.