Philadelphia's famous Rocky Balboa statue. TASS

49ers fans target Philadelphia's Rocky statue ahead of NFC title game

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated 1/27/23

San Francisco 49ers fans are playing a dangerous game ahead of Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.

Images went viral on Friday of Philadelphia’s famous Rocky Balboa statue dressed up in 49ers gear. San Francisco fans apparently got to the statue, located by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, at some point during the week.

49ers fans out here puttin' Niners swag on the Rocky statue in Philly

: @DiBirdsBlog pic.twitter.com/clv1CNyzHm

— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) January 27, 2023

Unfortunately for the 49ers, this may be a “those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it” moment. You may recall that fans of the Minnesota Vikings pulled a very similar stint with the Rocky statue before the NFC title game against the Eagles in 2018, dressing it up in Vikings colors. The Eagles would go on to dismantle the Vikings by a 38-7 final score and then won Super Bowl LII over the New England Patriots.

Yo! #Eagles Fans…

Vikings Fans Defaced the Rocky Statue at the Philadelphia Art Museum Today!#Eagles Need to Punch Back on the Field Tonight! #BringItHome #Skol #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/t7nEvoTUUD

— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) January 21, 2018

The statue is a famous local landmark in Philly, so the psychological warfare between the 49ers and the Eagles is clearly well underway. Sunday’s game will be played at Lincoln Financial Field, but we know that 49ers fans show out everywhere (especially during the playoffs).

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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