By Stephen Turk and Mark Abromaitis
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

The crash of football helmets, the blaring of whistles, the roars of the crowd, the highs and lows of winning and losing all culminate with the biggest sporting event in the country: the Super Bowl. On February 1, two teams will square off for the right to be champions.

And while no football season is complete without its fans, Maris Grove and Ann’s Choice have no shortage. At these two Erickson communities outside of Philadelphia, it’s who you root for that really matters.

"Given our location in Pennsylvania, it’s no surprise that the Eagles reign supreme," says Maris Grove Retirement Counselor Julieann Brant. "We also have a few other fans here and there, but for the most part it’s all Eagles, all the time."

Sports fanhood runs deep
Pete Meehan, a resident of Maris Grove and diehard Eagles and Phillies fan says, "It’s a good year to be a sports fan in Philadelphia. If you walk by the pub or the clubhouse, and a game’s on one of the big screen TVs, there is likely to be a pretty big crowd with people wearing their team’s colors and cheering."

According to Meehan, each Sunday afternoon and Monday evening during football season, you can find football fans congregating in the Cardinal or Brinton Clubhouse for the big games. "I’ve seen some pretty big crowds in there," Meehan says. "You hear the cheers and emotion from fans hanging on every play."

Meehan even hosted his own party for the Eagles-Cowboys game earlier this season in the Brinton Clubhouse. "We watched the game on the big screen TV," he explained. "It was BYOB, and we ordered a bunch of pizzas during halftime," he says.

And if you’re not in the clubhouse watching the games, says Meehan’s neighbor Kathy Maculaitis, "you’re at home watching them. But simply put, around here, you don’t miss an Eagles game."