These international student-athletes came to Philly for an education. Now their Eagles fandom is ‘a way of life.’
They didn't grow up cheering for the Birds. But these student-athletes, with the help of their teammates, bleed green as the Eagles head to the Super Bowl.
Sometimes buying into a team’s culture impacts more than just an athlete’s attitude in practice or games. Sometimes, it even impacts the professional sports teams they root for.
This was the case for Emirson Devenie, a St. Joseph’s women’s basketball player from Melbourne, Australia, and now, a diehard Eagles fan.
“It was cool just to see that the Eagles are not just a team. You could say it’s like a way of life,” Devenie said. “I just sort of bought into my teammates and coaches and how they were so passionate about going for the Eagles that I sort of jumped on the bandwagon a bit and started supporting them too.”
Now, the junior guard never misses a game.
“I love football. It’s now my favorite sport to watch ever since coming to America,” Devenie said. “I always have to have that time of the day off and just be able to have some time to watch them. If practice is like going right into the Eagles game, I have to make sure that I jump out of practice quick and go watch them at home.”
Devenie isn’t the only international student-athlete who found a new love for football. Thanks to her teammates, St. Joe’s field hockey goalie Marith Bijkerk said she’s now become an Eagles fan as well.
When she came to St. Joe’s last year, the senior from Steenwijk, Netherlands, said she did not know the rules of the game besides what a touchdown was. She wasn’t even aware that there was a football team in Philly. But at the end of last fall, she began catching games with her teammates.
“They kind of introduced me to that, and I started to like it. It’s really very interesting,” Bijkerk said. “And then this year, we all made the Super Bowl, which is kind of amazing, and I was like, ‘OK, I’m really starting to like it.’ I really started to like the Eagles.”
After their season as the national runners-up, Bijkerk and her team even got to visit Lincoln Financial Field.
Only having seen it on TV, Bijkerk said she was surprised at the size of the stadium She expected it to be smaller.
“We were actually standing on the field, like, ‘Oh, my God, this is so big. This is so impressive,’” Bijkerk said. “And the people who worked there were so nice to us, and it was just a whole amazing and good experience to see how it actually is. Actually standing in the stadium and on the field, it was insane.”
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Another thing about the Eagles that shocked Bijkerk was the loyalty of their fan base. She compared it to those of soccer fans in the Netherlands. The main difference, she said, was that the soccer fans tend to be fair-weather in comparison.
“I think the supporters, especially from the Eagles, are really people who love the Eagles. Like, even in bad times, they keep supporting their team,” Bijkerk said. “When I talk to American people really [cheering] for the Eagles, they talk so passionate about the Eagles and the sport, and I think that’s just amazing.”
Devenie also found similarities between the Birds and sports in Australia, mainly the Eagles fight song.
“For our sports, we usually sing a song every time our team wins the game,” Devenie said. “So that was pretty cool to hear that aspect of it as well, to sort of have something similar with being away from home.”
And while the Eagles may not be playing in Australia in 2026, Devenie said that having teams play Down Under is a good opportunity to grow the sport’s reach.
“I think it’s great for the game, just to get it out there and get it over to Australia, especially now that it’s growing, ever since players like Jordan Mailata and other international players,” Devenie said. “It’s really cool just to be able to expand it globally and just get more people in Australia to love the sport.”
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But for now, Devenie is just looking toward Sunday’s goal, a win for both the Birds and the Hawks (19-4, 10-2), who have a 1 p.m. matchup against Loyola Chicago (ESPN+).
“We play earlier that day, but that night, it’s all for Eagles,” Devenie said. “I think we got the crew to do it and get it done and get the Super Bowl win. And I hope for the city of Philadelphia, it’s something that everyone can experience. And selfishly, I hope it’s something that I can experience and just be able to see the city, like, light up. I’m pretty confident that they’re going to get it done.”
The Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.