Philadelphia Eagles have one of the most passionate fan bases in the political media of Washington D.C., writes Bryan Curtis for The Ringer.

Before and during each game, dozens of emails fly back and forth between pillars of D.C. media, including three cable news hosts, a White House network correspondent, and many print journalists.

While being fully supportive of the team, this “secret society of sorts,” as CNN’s Jake Tapper refers to it, always exudes a sense of fatalism.

“We’re so sure we’re going to be disappointed because that’s how it always goes,” said New York Times reporter Kenneth Vogel, a Philadelphia area native. “Then they win, and it’s like, ‘OK, fine, they won.’”

According to Justin Sink, a Bloomberg News White House correspondent, emailers are “the most despondent group of people experiencing success you can ever put together.”

These days, the email thread is a place for them to ponder all the bad things that could happen to the Eagles after their stellar start of the season.

“You stumbled onto the Illuminati of Philly sports,” said Anne Caprara, chief of staff to Illinois governor JB Pritzker, about the group.

Read more about the Eagles fans in D.C. in The Ringer.

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