Philadelphia police are greasing light poles in anticipation of Eagles win
Tom Gearhart of Newtown Pa. Onto of his Eagle van. Fans for the Eagles-Giants playoff game show up early to tailgate and party across from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on January 21, 2023.
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Eagles fans are a special bunch and, as such, special precautions need to be taken before their celebrations. Philadelphia police are already preparing.
Every city’s sports fans have their own ways of celebrating a big win. Chiefs fans love some karaoke. Miami Heat fans like to leave early. Knicks fans shout bing-bong while Rams fans just watch from home. And Eagles fans, well, they climb light poles and traffic poles.
To discourage vertical mayhem in the past, Philadelphia police have taken to coating climbable objects with grease like Crisco.
Yes, Philadelphia police will be greasing poles again to protect Eagles fans from themselves
And with the Eagles set to host the 49ers on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game, police in Philadelphia are already on the job. According to a police spokesman (h/t Fox 29), preparations are underway:
“We will be instituting the practice of ‘greasing poles’ as a deterrent for climbing poles and light fixtures. We encourage everyone to celebrate safely and responsibly. Many of the preparations that have been undertaken mirror similar events that have occurred in the past with the Phillies’ NLCS celebrations as the most recent example.”
FiveThirtyEight’s NFL prediction model gives the Eagles a 59 percent chance of beating the 49ers and advancing to the Super Bowl so there’s a decent chance some fans will be out there battling the grease on Sunday night. Also, no word yet on whether San Francisco cops will be greasing any light poles there just in case.
We haven’t seen any reports on countermeasures Eagles fans will undertake but there could be a run on noted grease-cutter, Blue Dawn. And any local stores that sell climbing harnesses or lineman rigs might want to have a little extra stock on hand.
Good luck to both teams and happy climbing to the fans.
