Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Eagles could see familiar face with next division foe

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 9/28/23

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a frenemy as a person with whom one is friendly despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry. Philadelphia fans call him Joshua Harris.

After buying the Washington Commanders franchise for a record $6.05 billion dollars in the offseason, Harris is seen as the savior of the moribund franchise. Washington was a dismal 164-220-2 under previous owner Dan Snyder, which makes Harris quite popular in D.C. these days.

Sixers fans aren’t so fond of him. Harris also owns Philadelphia’s NBA franchise and oversaw the team’s controversial rebuilding phase known as, “The Process.” In the mid-2010’s, Harris stood by while his basketball team openly tanked games in hopes of getting better draft picks.

Those picks amounted to players like Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, but they haven’t resulted in anything close to a championship. Fans of the team have grown impatient, and they’ll have no time for Harris if he steps on the sidelines of Lincoln Financial Field.

Josh Harris stood on the sideline with his son and Commanders EVP Marty Hurney during warmups.

( @J_MacPost) pic.twitter.com/1qQP7gJiJb
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 11, 2023

Philadelphia hosts Washington this week in a battle of NFC East rivals. Harris will surely travel with the team, but he may want to tone things down a bit. The Commanders’ new owner has been an on-field fixture for home contests, typically decked out in team gear. That’s sure to rub Philly fans the wrong way.

Technically, Harris owns another Philadelphia rival in the New Jersey Devils. Flyers fans have no love for their NHL counterparts, but luckily for Harris, fans have paid little attention as the team has been so bad.

That’s certainly not the case with Eagles fans. They eat, sleep and drink their beloved NFC Champions. They don’t like those that root for other teams, even if they own their other favorite team.

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