Most sports fans believe that national broadcasters treat their teams like second class citizens. In some cases (like two team towns), one team doesn’t get equal love from the general public or the local media.

Heck, many of us work with folks that pull the old, I get no respect mantra and live their lives under some self-imposed, dark cloud. Being an underdog and defying odds is something to be proud of, but when it’s your perpetual rallying cry, it grows tiresome.

I’m not sure one can draw parallels between different sports within a city, but I’m going after the folks in Philadelphia. Earlier this year, the Phillies surprised everyone (but themselves of course) and scrapped their way to the World Series. They were not the favorites in any series, having finished third in their own division behind the Braves and Mets. After surprising the Cardinals in the first round, they defeated the Braves on a Saturday afternoon. The next day, the 4-0 Eagles hosted the Cowboys at home (they won that one too). At the time the city was having a hard time reconciling the success of both teams; one the plucky underdog and the other undefeated favorite.

Flash forward three months. The Eagles are the NFC’s #1 seed and hosting division rival, New York this weekend. The Giants got here by upsetting the Vikings last weekend in Minnesota. I’m sure New Yorkers are relishing the chance to upend Philadelphia right now. Nobody ever thinks of any NY team as an upstart, least of all the Giants and their 4 Super Bowl titles.

Just to be fair to the Eagles, according to an ESPN ranking, they are only #5 in the current power rankings and not the highest rated NFC team. As much as chalk usually wins out at the end of the NCAA basketball tournament, it’s really difficult to be #1 for an entire season. The NY Giants have some experience in this regard, having defeated the New England Patriots twice in the Super Bowl. Both times the Pats were the heavy favorite and in one instance, they were attempting to complete the perfect season.

I’m not suggesting that the Eagles aren’t up to the task, but rather they aren’t going to be able to play the underdog card any longer. When was the last time someone in either the NFL or MLB won consecutive Super Bowls or World Series rings?