PHILADELPHIA, PA - As the sports industry continues to find creative ways to recover revenue lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philadelphia Eagles have announced a new reality show airing on Bravo! this fall.
The series, entitled Eagles Court, is a revival of the football franchise’s infamous courtroom at the former Veterans Stadium, which was retired in 2003 when the Eagles moved to Lincoln Financial Field. Former sports writer and host of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption Tony Kornheiser will serve as courtroom judge with a litany of special guests, including former Indianapolis Colts kicker Pat McAfee, Say Yes to the Dress host Randy Fenoli, and Judge Judy.
Participants that are found guilty can expect to pay a fine ranging from $200 - $500 as well as serve a weekend in the new stadium jail, depending on sobriety at the time of arrest. Assuming fans can return to Lincoln Financial Field in a limited capacity for the 2021-2022 season, Eagles Court will begin airing on Bravo! in conjunction with the start of regular season football this fall.
The announcement included this statement from the Eagles franchise:
“Philadelphia Eagles fans have always been known for their energy, enthusiasm, and threat to public safety. Today we are excited to share a new platform for our organization to display the drunken, disorderly, and downright bizarre antics of our passionate spectators.”
Bravo! says that new episodes will air on Tuesdays at 8 pm Eastern. The show offers couples stuck at home a new way to compromise on what TV show to watch:
“At Bravo!, we’re all about relationships, specifically exploiting them for monetary gain. Eagles Court will appeal to both dedicated Bravo! fans and their partners who wish they could be watching football. We’re very excited for this new partnership with the Philadelphia Eagles as a strategic way to further expand the audience for deeply unhealthy dynamics and extremely questionable behavior.”
Despite the optimism presented by the Eagles and Bravo!, Eagles Court already faces legal challenges. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has filed a lawsuit saying that the new series threatens the rights of police horses as the opportunity to appear on TV will incentivize fame-seeking fans to escalate horse-punching attacks.
A separate case filed by the ACLU claims that Eagles Court threatens the civil rights of Eagles fans who already face discrimination for being from Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey.
