Americans care a great deal about ethics and values. So, despite what some out-of-town sports writers say about allegedly boorish Philly fans, do Philadelphians. And so do I. My whole career as a professor has been spent thinking about ethics. That is why it is so clear to me, so obvious, that the Eagles, not the Patriots, ethically deserve to win the Super Bowl.

Why? Think about it. Does Boston deserve another championship? The Red Sox just won.  Could anyone stand to be in a room with anyone from Boston if they have the Sox and the Patriots in the same year? Aren't they snobby enough and self-centered enough as is?  Arrogance, as any moralist will tell you, should not be rewarded.

Moreover, in thinking about how to decide what is right, doing the most good for the greatest number is a crucial principle. Well, there are a lot more of us Philadelphians then there are Bostonians. One championship in anything would do us much, much more good. And a football championship would keep us happy for decades. New Englanders will be whining about the Red Sox within weeks, whether they win this game or not. The "greatest good" principle is clearly in the Eagles’ favor.

A last key principle of ethics is need. Trying to provide what people truly need is a key feature of ethics.

So, who needs this game more, us or a bunch of wifty, emotionless aristocrats who treat football as a second-class sport of less interest than hockey (a game once played among pros on ice involving a lot of fighting)? We do. They don't. Case closed. Justice, fairness and morality cinch the case -- it is morally right that the Eagles win the Super Bowl.