Visual texts are different from normal literature not simply because one uses pictures and the other uses words, but because the pictures in a visual essay often allow for the messages to be conveyed differently and sometimes the message can be a bit more clear. In the photo essay The Life of an Eagles Fan, the images are organized to show not only how Eagles fans act as a Fanbase but also how important the team is to its fans. Following an examination of this photo essay, it becomes clear that the point of this essay is to present the devotion that Philadelphia fans show for their football team, and how the actions and success of the team dominates the attitude in the City of Brotherly Love. 

The photo essay The Life of an Eagles Fan brings to life the idea that sports, in this case football, can be something that can become extremely important and prominent in people’s lives especially if the team represents a home town or is connected to family members. By beginning the essay with the caption “the Philadelphia Eagles are More Than Just a Team” the reader is immediately introduced to how important this team is to the city of Philadelphia. Additionally, by following this with an image of Eagles fans holding a sign saying “Are We Insane Yet?” the reader is further engaged into how important Eagles football is to its fans, and how they are they different from other fans as stated in the caption. The next image of Eagles fans screaming at a game supports the former image by showing how passionate the fans are and that they most certainly care about their football. The combination of these three images immediately introduces the reader into the realities and lives of Philly fans and that being an Eagles fan is not just a choice, it’s a lifestyle. 

An interesting organization technique of this photo essay is that the author decided to break up the essay into pieces, each one illustrating a different piece of the Life of an Eagles Fan, as the essay is titled. The first piece shows the fans at games and introduces the reader into the lifestyle of an Eagles fan, and the next portion shows how this fandom forms a lifestyle for the fans by showing images of a family preparing to go to a game, the stadium (which the author refers to as a “Home”), and an image of an American flag spread out across the field showing that going to Eagles fans allows fans to show off their patriotism at games. This is an interesting formation technique because it gives a bit of background on Eagles fans to begin the essay and also introduces the reader to how the fandom forms the lifestyle and personality of its fans. All in all, the first half of this essay is more about the fans than the team and gives the reader a bit of perspective on the life of an Eagles fan.

The next portion of the essay, however, contrasts completely with the first half because it doesn’t examine the fans, but instead the recent history of the team to give the reader some background about where the fans are getting their motivation from and also how difficult it is to be an Eagles fan. The image of a couple of Eagles fans captioned with “HERE WE GO AGAIN” alludes to that Eagles fans have been going through a tough time supporting their team for a long period of time. In fact, it has been over 60 years since the Eagles have won a championship, which further evidences that being an Eagles fan is not easy at all. This is followed by an image of the infamous former head coach of the Eagles, Chip Kelly, who is known in Philadelphia for single-handedly dismantling the team by cutting and trading key players, most notably star players LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson. This was actually the most recent head coach as well, so for the city to recently go through such a painful experience further exemplifies the pain that Eagles fans have had to go through cheering for their team. By adding this piece of background information and recent history to the essay, the reader is able to understand what troubles Eagles fans go through and which gives them the ability to sympathize with the fans. 

The author closes the photo essay with a unique finishing touch, which appears in the final two images, which show how a “New Era” is beginning in Philadelphia with the hiring of a new head coach and the drafting of rookie quarterback Carson Wentz. The Eagles have actually exceeded expectations for this season starting out with a 3-1 record and Carson Wentz actually set the record for being the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to throw 100 passes without an interception. This all leads to the final caption which reads “And a Bright Future Possibly Lies Ahead” as things are finally starting to look bright for the Eagles in the City of Brotherly Love and alludes to the fact that maybe the fans’ waits on Super Bowl victory might finally be coming to an end. By doing this to the photo essay, the author is causing the reader to wonder about the future of the Eagles and possibly cause them to follow the team in the future and see if the hopes for a Super Bowl championship in the City of Philadelphia are achieved.

This photo essay is meant to show the reader the realities of being an Eagles fan and how they have struggled to cheer for and support their favorite team due to the unfortunate history of the team. Even for people who do not understand or care for professional football, the author uses the images to provide background and details about the team so that they can in the end sympathize with Philadelphia fans. However, the author closes the essay allowing for the reader to become intrigued about the future of the team and possibly watch them closely in the future. Overall, this essay allows for the reader to become interested in the Philadelphia Eagles and hopefully understand that the performance of this team defines the city of Philadelphia.
