New England Patriots fans turned an iconic Philadelphia statue into an avid Tom Brady aficionado as part of heating up the rivalry days before they play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII. According to a tweet by football podcast Laces Out, some Patriots fans wrapped the Rocky Balboa’s statue in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia with a Brady jersey. Laces out posted the photo with a caption “Rocky is officially on the TB 12 method for his upcoming fight”, referring to the diet and health regimen of the 40-year-old quarterback. Rocky Balboa is a fictional boxing hero from Philadelphia in the “Rocky” movie series played by Sylvester Stallone.
Boston park bans anything Philadelphia
In addition, a park in Boston — Charles River Esplanade — banned anything and everything Eagles-related — even Rocky himself — in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, according to Daniel Rapaport of Sports Illustrated. Rapoport said any Eagles apparel is banned and so is Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, Philly cheesesteaks, and anything midnight green. Actors associated with Philadelphia like Will Smith and Stallone are also not welcome. Stallone, for his part, showed his love for Philadelphia by predicting that the Eagles will win the Super Bowl. Stallone also likened the Patriots to Ivan Drago, the Russian opponent he faced in Rocky IV played by Dolph Lundgren.
Mayors place Super Bowl bets
Earlier, the mayors of Philadelphia and Brockton, Massachusetts have entered into a wager before Super Bowl LII is played on February 4, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Based on their agreement, Bill Carpenter of Brockton said he will let the statue of boxing legend Rocky Marciano wear Eagles apparel if Philadelphia wins. Mayor Jim Kenney of Philadelphia promised to let Balboa’s statue wear Patriots garb if New England wins. Marciano finished his legendary boxing career with a 49-0 record and held the world heavyweight title for four years in the 1950s. Marciano helped Brockton get the nickname "City of Champions."
Aside from that, the two mayors also bet a keg of beer from Philadelphia's Yards Brewing Company against drinks from Brockton's Rocky Marciano Winery.
Yards entered into a bet with its Boston counterpart, Harpoon Brewery. The brewery of the city’s losing team will serve beer manufactured by the brewery from the winning city for a day with its staff wearing the winning team’s gear. Aside from the bet, the two breweries agreed to make charitable donations to their organizations of their choice.