First lady not reticent in sports fandom: She’s a ‘Philly girl’

WASHINGTON — Jill Biden won’t let even a White House gala get between her and the Philadelphia Eagles.

After a late night entertaining governors with President Joe Biden at a black-tie dinner on Saturday, the first lady was heading for the Super Bowl in Arizona on Sunday with hopes of watching “the Birds” defeat the Kansas City Chiefs and claim the NFL title.

First ladies have been involved with sports in a variety of ways over the years, from throwing out the first pitch at baseball games to representing the United States at the Olympics. But Jill Biden’s unabashed public expressions of support for Philadelphia’s teams — she grew up in suburban Willow Grove — are a rare kind of devotion.

“The first lady is a proud Philly girl and devoted sports fan, and is excited to cheer on her hometown team for the Super Bowl,” said her spokesperson, Vanessa Valdivia.

At a time when national politicians often avoid taking sides in sports contests, Jill Biden, a community college professor, wears her Eagles and Phillies garb in public and tweets photos of herself watching games in the private cabin on a government plane.

She and her grandson Hunter were at the stadium in Philadelphia on Jan. 29 when the Eagles won the NFC championship. The 16-year-old will join her again on Sunday.

“I’m going. I’ll wave to you at the game,” the first lady was overheard telling two girls about the Super Bowl when she visited California last weekend.

No sitting president has attended a Super Bowl, mainly because of the security requirements authorities would need to impose upon the tens of thousands of fans. President Biden will be at the White House on Sunday.

Boston University communications professor Tammy Vigil said first ladies usually aren’t seen as overt sports fans because many of them have not been, though they often participate in the ceremonial aspects of some sports. Timing could also be a factor for Jill Biden, she said.

“Her teams happen to be very successful at the time she occupies the White House,” Vigil, author of “Melanie and Michelle,” a book about first ladies, said in an email.

Biden also uses her interest in sports to highlight one of the causes she promotes as first lady: cancer awareness. She has appeared at Eagles and Phillies home games, including the World Series, in recent months to cheer patients and boost league efforts at promoting early detection.

There is a long history of first ladies and their involvement with sports, especially baseball, according to the National First Ladies’ Library. And for some, their interest continued, or even deepened, after they left the White House.

After leaving the White House, Grace Coolidge became a regular at Boston’s Fenway Park, rooting for the Red Sox from a reserved seat just above their dugout.

Jill Biden