Nicolai Haugsted
Philadelphia has become home to one of the most bizarre yet joyful stories during the World Cup.
Most football superstitions involve lucky shirts, matchday rituals or sitting in exactly the same seat every game. Philadelphia has taken things a step further.
As World Cup supporters continue to pour into the city, one famous local landmark has become the subject of increasingly serious warnings.
French fans have now been told to keep their scarves, jerseys and flags far away from the iconic Rocky Balboa statue — unless they want to tempt fate.
A curse visitors would rather avoid
Standing outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the bronze statue of Sylvester Stallone’s legendary movie boxer has long been a popular tourist attraction.
Lately, though, Rocky has earned another reputation.
According to local sporting folklore, visiting supporters who dress the statue in their team’s colors often end up watching their side lose.
France’s official supporters group, Irresistibles Français, has taken the superstition seriously enough to issue a public warning ahead of the team’s upcoming match.
“Don’t touch Rocky! To all French people in Philadelphia we urge you to exercise the utmost caution,” the group said acording to The Independent.
“Under no circumstances should you put a Les Bleus shirt or scarf on the Rocky statue!”
Even Visit Philadelphia has been out warning the tourists about the “curse”
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Ecuador learned the lesson the hard way
Supporters of Ecuador recently decorated the statue with their national team’s yellow shirt and flag before a group-stage match against Ivory Coast.
The result did little to help the curse’s reputation.
Ecuador went on to lose, adding another chapter to a story Philadelphia sports fans have been repeating for years.
According to the French supporters group, local belief is straightforward.
“Here, the local superstition is very clear: dressing Rocky in the colours of the opposition brings monumental bad luck and dooms the team to defeat.”
The legend that won’t go away
Many Philadelphia sports fans point to the 2018 Super Bowl as the moment the Rocky myth truly exploded.
Before the game, New England Patriots supporters placed a Tom Brady jersey on the statue.
Philadelphia then stunned the Patriots 41-33 to claim the championship.
Since then, rival supporters have often thought twice before turning Rocky into a temporary mascot.
One Ecuadorian supporter reportedly attempted to reverse the bad luck after his team’s defeat by leaving a bowl of encebollado, a traditional South American seafood dish, at the statue’s base.
Apparently, Rocky was not interested in negotiations.
Even police are aware of it
Local authorities seem amused by the phenomenon.
Kevin Bethel, Philadelphia’s police commissioner, told Reuters that the superstition has become so widespread that fans now avoid the statue altogether.
“Apparently no one wants to put their shirt on Rocky now because that’s a jinx,” Bethel said.
“So we don’t have to worry about people climbing on and throwing their jersey on there unless they want to lose.”
Brazil supporters also received warnings before their team’s match against Haiti. Unlike Ecuador, they listened.
Brazil won 3-0.
Whether Rocky Balboa truly has a say in World Cup results remains highly questionable. Convincing travelling supporters of that, however, appears to be a much tougher challenge.
