Prior to the Philadelphia Eagles’ victory in the NFC Championship Game, cops around the city greased light poles with Crisco. It was a way to deter fans from climbing up the poles in celebration. It didn’t exactly work (look here). So, ahead of Super Bowl LII, Philly’s police force is going another way.
BREAKING: @PhillyPolice Commissioner says #Crisco won’t be used on Philly poles on Sunday. Apparently it wasn’t slick enough. @CBSPhilly pic.twitter.com/3RS8s2Xg8W
— Joe Holden (@JoeHoldenCBS3) January 30, 2018
Rather than greasing the poles, the Philadelphia police will have a large presence in Philadelphia’s Mayfair section.
“We will be ready. We will be out there with a sizable contingent of officers that will be seen by most and we will make every effort to know that we are about business, but we are also the business of allowing people to celebrate as long as it’s done peacefully,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said, per CBS Philly. “Now look, I can’t tell you that there won’t still be attempts, but I would suspect that some of them will be far more difficult than they were with the Crisco attempt.”
Philadelphia has never won a Super Bowl, and the Eagles’ last championship came in 1960. Additionally, the City of Brotherly Love has been starved for championships in recent decades in other sports. MLB’s Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series in 2008, which remains the city’s only pro championship since the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers took the NBA crown.
With that in mind, we can safely assume that an Eagles win over the New England Patriots would launch some spirited celebrations throughout Philly.