I have gotten a lot of criticism over the past several days, from readers and friends alike, over my cold indifference to the idea of Michael Vick playing for the Eagles. I have a couple friends who now refuse to root for the Eagles, and have received numerous emails from readers claiming they are done with the team, a few going as far to say they will never watch an NFL game again.

I do not like Mike Vick at all. I never have. I know people who went to Virginia Tech with him and have heard a number of stories about what a jerk he was even back then. I have never thought he was a very good quarterback, despite being an impressive athlete. I am an animal lover and thought what he did was morally abhorent and offensive. I do not believe that he is genuinely a changed person or that he all of a sudden believes that dog fighting is now evil. I think he has a team of PR people that told him that dog fighting is evil and that he needs to say that, and work with animal rights groups, in order to get his career back on track.

And I don’t care that he’s playing for the Eagles. Am I particularly thrilled he’s playing for my team? No. But I made a decision a long time ago that I was going to “root for the laundry,” as they say. The name on the front of the jersey is what is ultimately important to me, not the name on the back. And I know that sounds callous, and some people think I’m full of BS.

That’s not to say I don’t get invested in players, and I don’t root for them, and don’t become fans of the individual players. When Charles Barkley (my all time favorite pro athlete) was traded to the Suns, I was absolutely devastated. I couldn’t believe it. But I continued to root for the Sixers. That was the moment when i realized that as a fan, it had to be about the team, not the people. Players come and go, but the team is what endures.

Obviously, trading Chuck and signing Vick are two very different things, but as a fan I feel that I have to look at them in the same cold, objective manner. Does Mike Vick help my team’s chances to win a SuperBowl? That’s the only question that matters to me.

So call me callous; call me heartless; tell me I am blinded by my team loyalty. But Mike Vick will be gone in a couple years and the Eagles will still be here. And I will root for his replacement, just like I rooted for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry, and Andrew Lang.

Like I said, it’s about the laundry.