These Photos Of Philadelphia After The Super Bowl Are Seriously Unbelievable
On Feb. 4, 2018, in a shocking plot twist, the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl by beating the New England Patriots. What was even more shocking, however, were the celebrations that followed thereafter. Photos of Philadelphia after the Super Bowl have created a surge of opinions, criticisms, and all-around shock online.
We can guess the celebrations got a little out of hand seeing as though no one really expected Philadelphia to actually win. It'd been more than five decades since they'd won an NFL championship, and when pitted against Patriots' ultra-quarterback Tom Brady, a win just didn't seem feasible. But the Eagles had a furious comeback last night, closing the game with a score of 41-33, which solidified a historic mark in the football world for the team and put all of their naysayers to rest for once and for all (or until next season, at least).
Just moments after the win, celebratory images began to pour out online.
As a result of the unexpected win, people got pretty out of control on the streets of Philadelphia. As revelers walked through their neighborhoods, chanting, "Eagles!" and "f*ck Tom Brady," chaos began to erupt around the entire city. Some people set things on fire while others flipped over cars, climbed street poles and looted nearby stores.
These photos show just how wild things got after the win — and I don't mean in a fun way.
By the morning of Monday, Feb. 5, crews were left to clean up the destruction caused by the revelers.
As the "celebrations" raged, Philadelphia Police Sergeant Brian Geer asked those in the streets to "go home." Around 1:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 5, he tweeted,
Still going strong in the [Office of Emergency Management]. But, if everyone could go home that would be great. We have to get some rest to start planning a parade in the morning.
The City of Philadelphia followed by announcing on Monday afternoon that it was still planning to host a parade on Thursday, Jan. 8, to honor the Philadelphia Eagles — even after seeing the way last night's celebrations unfolded.
Though the city has already began to clean up and move on from last night's celebrations, many couldn't help but think that there was a racial element to the response to what happened in Philly.
Hawk Newsome, president of New York's Black Lives Matter movement, told Newsweek that it seems like it's OK to destroy property over sports victories — but not over human rights, a reference to protests against racial injustices in America in which minorities are arrested for the same, or lesser, actions. He said,
Somehow, it seems there's a line drawn in the sand where destruction of property because of a sports victory is OK and acceptable in America. However, if you have people who are fighting for their most basic human right, the right to live, they will be condemned.
Others shared similar sentiments on Twitter.
Even Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s youngest daughter, Bernice King spoke on the matter via Twitter, writing:
As football fans riot, I am reminded that, in response to the unjust deaths of young Black men like Trayvon Martin (who would have been 23 today), rioting is considered an affront to humanity. Not endorsing violence. Endorsing honest examination of WHY & eradication of racism.
King referenced Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed in 2012 an incident that many saw as a deadly example of racial profiling.
The whole thing is pretty outrageous. However, one thing is for sure: The Eagles are gonna want to come back to the city as they knew it before the damage, so hopefully the residents of Philadelphia can be a little more chill at Thursday's parade. But seriously, congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles — and please, be safe, Philadelphians!
