Ex-Cowboys fan Bryce Harper records a special video for Eagles-Cowboys game

"When I was a kid, I grew up mesmerized by the blue star on the silver helmet," Bryce Harper explains in the video. "And then, I moved to Philly."

Phillies slugger Bryce Harper recorded the opening to tonight's Eagles-Cowboys game on NBC's "Sunday Night Football."Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

by Rob Tornoe

Updated Dec. 10, 2023, 7:33 p.m. ET

Published Dec. 10, 2023, 1:28 p.m. ET

NBC tapped one of Philly’s biggest stars to record a special opening for tonight’s Sunday Night Football game between the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, but this time it isn’t Birds superfan Bradley Cooper.

Phillies slugger Bryce Harper was nabbed by the network to help open tonight’s monster matchup of NFC East rivals.

Harper is an appropriate choice, since he grew up in Las Vegas rooting for the Cowboys. He continued to root for Dallas during his seven seasons with the Washington Nationals, but had a change of heart once he moved to Philadelphia after signing with the Phillies in 2019.

“I’m Eagles through and through, kid,” Harper told Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson during a 2020 interview. ”Changed my ways, man.”

“I got into Philly and you can’t do it, man. Seeing the way you guys play and the way you guys go about it every single week, just like the Sixers or anybody else. I couldn’t imagine walking in somewhere and disrespecting you guys,” Harper added. “You guys are the Philadelphia freaking Eagles, bro.”

In the 90-second video, Harper plays it straight. He talks about rooting for the Cowboys as a kid and being “mesmerized” by the team’s blue star. But once he moved to Philly — “my city,” as he described it — Harper was “consumed” by the city’s fandom for the Birds, causing him to switch allegiances from the silver and blue to the green and white.

Being a regular 94.1 WIP listener probably helped supercharge that metamorphosis.

“I listen to you guys. Not every day, but as I do go to the ballpark there are days I’ll turn it on,” Harper told WIP hosts Jon Marks and Ike Reese in September. “I just enjoy it — the good and the bad … to hear about what the Eagles are doing, or the Flyers or the Sixers, or what the fans are thinking. I like to consume myself with that so I can get the feel and the vibe of it.”

Harper is currently seeking a contract extension that would keep him in a Phillies uniform for the rest of his career. His current 13-year, $330 million deal takes him through the 2031 season, when he’ll be 38 years old.

Here is the full transcript of Harper’s narration:

Real talk now.

When I was a kid, I grew up mesmerized by the blue star on the silver helmet. All the glory and tradition of America’s team. I was a Cowboys fan.

And then, I moved to Philly.

Kind of a work thing.

If you know my city, you know what the Eagles mean to us. They’re part of the Philly fabric, Philly pride, and the Philly way.

And so I know from being on both sides of this rivalry how important this game tonight is to these teams.

All the history. All the memories. Believe me, as an athlete, when you become part of that, you get consumed by it.

So even if they weren’t two of the best teams in football, when these two sides get together, it just matters more.

Philly. Dallas. On Sunday night.