After the Philadelphia Eagles’ defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Sunday night, disappointed fans took to the streets in large numbers, shouting profanities and lighting fireworks, resulting in confrontations with police.
According to NJ.com and social media posts, Broad Street was covered in green as emotional fans climbed traffic lights and chanted obscenities. Police issued warnings to the disorderly fans, some of whom were observed setting off fireworks, climbing slippery poles, and jumping on bus shelters, as reported by Fox News.
“The thing is, win or lose… philly still gonna be philly bc ITS A PHILLY THING,” Twitter user @Annie_Wu_22 wrote, sharing footage of a crowd yelling, “F— the Chiefs.”
At one point, someone threw a section of a fence, but it did not hit anyone, ABC 6 reported.
Dozens of police officers and SWAT team members stood ready in riot gear as they ordered the revelers to disperse over a speaker.
Police deployed smoke bombs around 11 p.m. to break up the crowds and get people to head home, videos posted to Twitter show.
Some fans were seen being taken into custody, but there was no immediate word on how many arrests were made, according to ABC 6.
Earlier in the day, wild fans overturned a car on a crowded street near Temple University before the big game had even started.
People remained mostly peaceful on Broad Street, according to Fox 29, and the crowd left the streets between 11 p.m. and midnight.
The diehards had begun partying on the streets while the Eagles were still ahead — before a controversial holding call late in the game, which paved the way for the Chiefs’ final field goal that earned them their third Super Bowl title.
After the game, Eagles cornerback James Bradberry admitted to holding Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on the game-winning drive.
“I’m so disappointed at that call, (Bradberry) barely touched him, at the end of the game, you’re gonna make a call like that? The Super Bowl is going to be decided on a call like that?” one fan said, according to Fox 29.
Birds fans continued to cheer on their team despite the last-minute upset as confetti rained down and fireworks illuminated the sky.
“Not happy,” Grumpy’s Tavern manager Keith D’Alfonso grumbled as patrons yelled expletives, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
At Reale’s Sports Bar & Grill on Frankford Avenue, Ashton Crawford, 31, stared glumly at the TV as the Chiefs celebrated their victory.
“I’m just torturing myself. I thought we had it. I thought we would be outside in the streets, celebrating,” he said.
On Broad Street, Jamel Fanning, 40, waxed philosophical amid the disappointment.
“You’re always gonna have ups and downs anytime you play this game,” Fanning told the Inquirer. “We still got to support our team. We don’t drop support because they lost.”
Philadelphia police had prepared for a chaotic scene following the Super Bowl given the notoriously rambunctious Birds fans’ past behavior.
Last month, fans celebrated the Eagles’ NFC Championship game win over the 49ers by climbing light poles and crosswalk lights and standing on bus stop shelters.
In 2018, authorities famously greased light poles around the city, when the Eagles beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl, but it wasn’t enough to keep enterprising fans from climbing them.
And that is why I wanted Kansas City to win. I can not think of more obnoxious fans (in America), always willing to make asses of themselves and create havoc
Pittsburg is sooooo much different
People wonder why fans hate Philadelphia teams
Philadelphia like most US cities is occupied by people who are either committing crimes or ignoring them. They elect politicians who are idiots then wonder why their city is a pile of crap.
I’m originally from Boston and live thru the Brady era from start to finish. Boston fans are tough but they don’t cry about a loss. Every call by the ref’s is for one team or the other and the one it’s against usually complains. Just part of the game. I’ve seen every team in football lose a game by a call that they didn’t like. It is what it is and we live with it. This demonstrating and crying is absurd and not unusual for Philly.