It is incredibly hard to defend a fan base with enough brass ones to actually boo and throw snowballs at Santa Claus, but I am going to do exactly that.

Recently, a video had gone viral of Philadelphia Eagles hurling abuse towards Vikings fans, flipping them off, cursing them, throwing trash at them, and so on. This came on the heels of a 38-7 smack down the Eagles laid on Minnesota at Lincoln Financial Field in the National Football Conference championship game. Of course, this would normally come off as par for the course. It's Philadelphia. They hurled ice and snow at Jimmie Johnson when he coached the Dallas Cowboys. They cheered when Michael Irvin had his career ruined by a neck injury. Hell, they boo their own players, even the ones who hadn't even suited up for them at the time.

And it is not just the Eagles that the fans get...um..."passionate" about their teams. Former MLB outfielder JD Drew was on the receiving of battery-literally, Phillies' fans chucked batteries at him after signing with the St Louis Cardinals instead. A 17-year-old Phillies' made national headlines after sprinting on the field and getting tased, with the situation being joked about in an episode of The Simpsons. Flyers fans have gotten into fights with players on multiple occasions.

That being said, I will defend them this time around. Vikings fans had poured into the city, dressed the iconic Rocky statue in purple and gold with the #14 (for Stefon Diggs, who kept their season alive with an improbable 61-yard touchdown) and belted out the stupid "Skol" chant, crowing about taking over "the Linc". When the Vikings had been shellacked the way they had, Eagles fans had every right to crow.

Eagles fans should be allowed to enjoy this run that they are on. Everyone had counted them out once they lost quarterback Carson Wentz to an ACL tear. They had lost four other key contributors, including longtime left tackle Jason Peters to season-ending injuries. They were counted on as the underdogs on the entire march to this game, they reserve the right to enjoy.

I don't completely condone the actions in the video, as there is a concept of being a gracious winner. That being said, if you are going to root for the team that is going against them, you have to take the high road as well. Many Vikings fans did not do that. And this should serve as a word of caution to Patriots fans who think about doing the same.