PHILADELPHIA — When Mucha Nama drives his white minivan up and down Broad Street, he gets some interesting reactions. Most people hear his car before they actually see it. The Ethiopian rideshare driver has a speaker affixed to the top that plays one of two tracks: “Fly, Eagles Fly” or a 10-minute YouTube compilation of “Eagle Sound Effects.”

This usually prompts pedestrians to look up at the sky, only to realize that the high-pitched screeches aren’t coming from a bird of prey, but rather, a Toyota Sienna XLE. Then they see how the car is decorated.

Nama has two eagles stationed on the roof rack. Between them is a faux Lombardi Trophy, and behind that, replica Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts jerseys. There are American flag decals to the rear and to the front, with flowers decorating the side doors. Just below the Toyota logo is a small wreath with a sunflower on top.

It is an unusual look, and on a recent Friday afternoon, Philadelphians were noticing. One began to flap imaginary Eagles wings as Nama drove by. Others gave the driver a thumbs-up and a few cheers as well as some celebratory honks.

“Love the setup, bro,” said one man, biking past Nama’s car.

“Thank you,” Nama said, with a laugh. “You see?”

Nama, who drives for Uber and Lyft, grew up on the western side of Ethiopia. He arrived in Philadelphia as a student in 2011, through the Diversity Visa lottery. He is a legal resident, but he prefers to go by his nickname — “Mucha Nama” — as opposed to his full name because of efforts by the Trump administration to target legal immigrants.

Mucha Nama hasn’t been back to Ethiopia since he left 14 years ago, but he has quickly embraced Philadelphia’s culture — particularly its sports teams. His first job in the city was at a meat wholesale company, where he met a friend, Tommy, who brought him to his first Eagles game on a Sunday night in October 2014.

The Eagles leveled the New York Giants, 27-0, in front of 69,596 fans at Lincoln Financial Field. Nama was transfixed. He’d always followed Ethiopian and English Premier League soccer, but this was different from anything he’d experienced.

“Before, I would watch in the big stadium in my country,” Nama said. “So I know the vibe of our stadium. The big problem [for me] is I’ve never [had a] drink, I’ve never smoked, all my life.

“But some people, really, really drink when the Eagles are scoring. So there’s [all] the beer, which is funny. Some people throw the beer onto your head, onto your clothes, things like that.”

The environment was pure chaos — and Nama loved it. He decided from then on that he’d become an Eagles fan. Since 2014, he has followed every game on TV or on the radio. He has a favorite player — former quarterback Nick Foles — who he admires not just for his talent, but “because he’s a good person.”

He has even attended a few summer practices. During OTAs in June 2021, Nama met some Eagles as they walked into the NovaCare Complex: Brandon Graham, Jake Elliott, and Jason Kelce.

“I saw the whole team,” he said. “And I got a picture of BG.”

Nama might sound like a lifelong Birds fan, but he initially found it difficult to adapt to life in the U.S. He was about 7,000 miles from home and faced the daunting prospect of having to learn to English on the fly. He had no idea how to dress for harsh winters or the snow. And the sheer volume of people and noise in a big city took some getting used to.

But it has gotten easier. And his pride for the Eagles has bonded him with Philadelphia in a way few other things could.

“It’s why all my life I played soccer. Because it can bring people together,” Nama said.

“You come together and celebrate, like church. In church, you come from different countries, different origins, but [you have the] same God. The sport is the same thing,” he said.

‘I want to make people happy’

Nama has been decorating vehicles since he was 6 years old, when his brother bought him his first bike. He’d ride it around the streets of his hometown, but he realized something was amiss.

So, he began to add some flair. He wrapped colorful tape around the handlebars and fastened flowers to the front. He put string lights along the tubes, which he would turn on at night.

At 14, he started driving his brother’s car, furnishing it with all of his favorite trimmings. He loved the way it looked, but he loved how people responded to it even more.

“[It made] people very happy,” he said. “I had the prettiest car. My bike was like that, too.”

After he arrived in the United States, the driver continued to embellish his various modes of transportation. Nama, who began working part-time for Uber and Lyft in 2016, moved to full-time in 2022. He works six or seven days a week, about eight to 10 hours a day.

He changes his car for every season. In February — if the Eagles aren’t coming off a Super Bowl win — Nama adorns it with pink hearts and valentines. For the Fourth of July, he adds stars and stripes. For Christmas, tinsel and ornaments.

But when there isn’t a holiday to celebrate, he is celebrating the Eagles. Nama has collected dozens of pieces of memorabilia: Eagles stickers, jerseys, signage, and more. He has found most of it on Amazon and Facebook Marketplace.

“People [on the street are] happy,” he said. “Everybody, when I’m driving, I work downtown, the people stop and they take a picture, video.”

Driving in a city that worships its football team has given Nama plenty of five-star ratings (he is now at 4.96 on Uber). But every once in a while, he’ll run across someone who refuses to step into his car.

A few months ago, he was matched with a Cowboys fan.

“When I arrived for pickup, he looked at my car,” Nama said. “He said something, a bad word. He said, ‘I never go inside of this car.’ He canceled. I left and again he ordered, the same person.

“When again, I arrived, he canceled [again], and went inside the house.”

A similar situation happened two years ago, when he attempted to pick up a customer who was wearing Washington Commanders gear.

“I go to [the] train station, and say, ‘You want to go to the stadium?’” Nama said. “He’s wearing Commanders. He said, ‘You are my ride?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘No, I’m not going inside this car.’”

The driver doesn’t take it personally. He wears kelly green, listens to WIP-FM (94.1), and hates his team’s division rivals, just like any Philadelphian would. He still goes to the Linc, often in his Foles jersey, and still catches every game, sometimes while he’s driving.

Nama wasn’t born here, or raised here, but after 14 years, this is his home.

“Philly is like my born city, you know?” he said, as he cruised down Broad Street. “When I go [to] a different city, I miss it [after] one day.”

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