Discussion about the Philadelphia Eagles can be exhausting, whether it's endless pessimism or delusional confidence about the team's prospects, its players, its former players, the front office — you get the picture. It's part of being a sports fan anywhere, but Philly has an especially aggressive attachment style when it comes to its pro teams.
One of the bright spots in Eagles coverage in recent years has been Giovanni Hamilton, the 13-year-old podcaster whose dedication to the Birds is second to none. Hamilton hosts regular podcasts on the Eagles Unfiltered network and has scored recent interviews with the likes of Jalen Hurts, Chris Long and Travis Fulgham.
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Beyond his sports coverage, Hamilton is an inspiration. He was born with Schwartz-Jampel syndrome, a type of dwarfism that has left him with skeletal abnormalities and severe muscle stiffness throughout his life. He's been through more than 15 surgeries and has kept his radiant personality and passion for sports alive through it all.
Hamilton attended the Eagles' open practice at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday night and was presented with a couple of custom-made gifts that any Eagles fan would be stoked to have in a collection of memorabilia.
The first was a custom DeVonta Smith figurine made by an artist in Iowa, who bubble-wrapped the gift and had it delivered to Giovanni by Gayle Saunders, who runs the 4th and JAWN podcast and blog. Hamilton said the figurine is going in his bedroom man cave, which is probably among the best Eagles shrines in the region.
The same artist has a ranging collection of impressive figurines, so the Smith one is a valuable commodity and one-of-a-kind.
The second gift came directly from Saunders, a custom pair of throwback Eagles high tops.
Saunders, Eagles players and everyone else who has supported Hamilton represent everything that's great — and too often overlooked — about being a Philadelphia sports fan.
The only thing missing on that DeVonta Smith figurine is an autograph, at least for now.