The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, but Chiefs fans should be wary about participating in any pregame antics involving Philly’s Rocky Balboa statue.
Over the past several years, the nearly 9-foot-tall figure has been the subject of pregame dress-up by opposing fans. But messing with the Rocky statue has led to losses for those teams. There’s enough evidence to suggest that tampering with the sculpture before kickoff could curse the opposition.
Maybe leave Rocky alone if you’re playing the @Eagles 😅 pic.twitter.com/DXkEuljAXo
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 29, 2023
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has already warned Kansas City fans.
“Chiefs, do not touch the f—ing Rocky memorial!” Kelce said on his “New Heights” podcast with brother and Eagles center Jason Kelce. “Do not do that, and definitely don’t put a No. 87 on it!”
They didn’t heed his warning.
Will the Chiefs be the first team to break the Rocky Statue curse? 😅
(via makersmarksman/TW) pic.twitter.com/07CASrmXTb
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 10, 2023
Whether the curse strikes or not, we’ll have to wait until Sunday night to find out.
Here are the teams that have lost to the Eagles after their fans altered Philadelphia’s Rocky statue:
2023
Days before the 49ers faced the Eagles in this season’s NFC Championship Game, a Niners shirt was seen on the Rocky statue.
Niners fans are out here messing with the Rocky statue 👀
(via @DiBirdsBlog) pic.twitter.com/WjgDWHBaoG
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 27, 2023
It wasn’t the first time the figure was decorated with 49ers gear. Before the Niners-Eagles matchup in Week 2 of the 2021 season, San Francisco supporters met at the Rocky statue and wrapped a team flag around it. The pregame festivities paid off as the 49ers beat the Eagles 17-11, the only time a team didn’t fall victim to the curse.
The new threads on Rocky didn’t lead to a San Francisco win in 2023, as the Eagles rolled over the Niners, 31-7.
2018
Super Bowl LII featured the Eagles against the Patriots. Somebody in Philly was rooting for New England because the Italian Stallion was seen sporting a Tom Brady jersey.
But Brady’s jersey on the sculpture didn’t result in a Patriots victory. The Eagles won Super Bowl LII 41-33, giving Philadelphia its first Super Bowl win in franchise history.
2018
Before the 2017 NFC Championship Game, Vikings fans gathered outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art and performed the Vikings’ “Skol” chant. Minnesota supporters then dressed the Rocky statue in a scarf and a towel in the Vikings’ team colors.
The #Vikings are coming!#BringItHome pic.twitter.com/VjjJu2zbfw
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 21, 2018
As for the game, the Vikings jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. That would be Minnesota’s only touchdown, though, as Philly scored 38 straight points en route to a 38-7 victory.
2015
A No. 5 Giants jersey was placed on the Rocky statue ahead of New York’s Week 6 matchup with Philadelphia. Punter Steve Weatherford wore the number before the Giants cut him on Sept. 4, 2015.
Weatherford posted the picture on his Instagram account, supporting his former team and Rocky’s new gear.
The jersey and Weatherford’s encouragement weren’t enough, as the Giants lost to the Eagles 27-7.
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