No matter where Kahleah Copper’s basketball journey takes her, she continues to carry North Philadelphia with her — even on her shoes.
The Phoenix Mercury guard and four-time All-Star debuted a custom “Norf Philly” Adidas Harden Vol. 10 player-exclusive sneaker during Wednesday night’s game against the reigning WNBA champions Las Vegas Aces.
The black-and-white shoe features “Just a kid from” on the left heel and “Norf Philly” on the right heel. Copper has adopted the phrase “just a kid from Norf Philly” throughout her time in the WNBA. It’s a nod to the neighborhood that helped shape her.
Her love for basketball started on the streets of North Philadelphia. She practiced shooting by attaching a crate to a one-way sign on 32nd & Berks Streets.
“There wasn’t a lot of opportunities for young girls to play in different leagues, so I played in a league with a bunch of guys,” she said in an interview in 2025. “The things those guys instilled in me, whether it was that toughness or that grit or just always having that chip on my shoulder because I wasn’t as strong as them … shout out the guys.”
In 2021, Copper was named WNBA Finals MVP after leading the Chicago Sky to their first championship. After winning the championship, she paid it back to her Philly roots.
“North Philly is different,” she said in a 2021 article in the Players’ Tribune. “It’s a place I love, the place where I learned how to play tough.”
The Aces won Wednesday’s game, 86-76, and Copper, who finished with 26 points, is averaging a team-best 19.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists for the Mercury (4-12), who are 13th in the WNBA standings.
Copper has joined the tradition of Philadelphia basketball stars using sneakers to show where they’ve come from. The Nike Kobe 4 Philly dropped on Jan. 1, 2009, with a color scheme of red, white, and blue to pay homage to Kobe Bryant’s hometown and the 76ers. A “Philly” Nike Kobe 4 Protro was released in 2024.
Official Look at the 'Philly' Nike Kobe 4 Protro
This "Philly" colorway pays homage to Kobe Bryant's connection to the Philadelphia area, as his father, Joe, played for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1970s.
Rasheed Wallace, a 2004 NBA champion with the Detroit Pistons and Simon Gratz graduate, was known for wearing high-top Nike Air Force 1s.
“The strap was a Philly thing,” Wallace told the All the Smoke podcast in May 2025. “In Philly when we wear the high-top Air Force 1s, you keep the strap on the back.”
International soccer supporters, be warned — clothe the Rocky statue at your own risk.
The fans of the Ecuadorian national team learned Sunday what many NFL fans already know about draping their colors over the statue of Rocky on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum.
Ecuadorian supporters fitted Rocky with a yellow La Tri kit, then saw their team concede a 90th-minute winner in its FIFA World Cup group-stage opener against Ivory Coast on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field (aka Philadelphia Stadium).
The effects of the “Rocky curse” are well-documented when it comes to football, but it was relatively untested on the beautiful game. Ecuador lost, 1-0, to the Ivorian side, which entered the tournament ranked 10 spots behind La Tri in the FIFA World Ranking.
With Brazil coming to Philly for a Group C match against Haiti on Friday (8:30 p.m., Fox29), Movimento Verde Amarelo, Brazil’s main supporters’ group, went to great lengths to ensure the yellow and green of the Canarinho stayed off the Rocky statue.
The Rocky statue was roped off with a four-post retractable nylon stanchion, with four members of MVA, sunglasses on and earpiece in, standing at attention at each corner as Brazilian fans gathered for a rally in front of the Art Museum.
The bodyguards discouraged fans from draping any Brazilian garb on the statue, holding signs that read:
“Operation Rocky Protectors — Attention: it is forbidden to put Brazilian colors on the statue.”
Matheus Henrique, 30, was one of the MVA members protecting the statue. Henrique, a native of Belém, Brazil, moved to Los Angeles a decade ago for college.
On the eve of Friday’s FIFA World Cup Group C match between Brazil and Haiti, Brazil fans rally for their team on the Art Museum steps in Philadelphia on Thursday, June 18, 2026.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Henrique is friends with the person who helped organize Brazil’s takeover of the steps and responded when a call went out for volunteers to guard the statue.
“It’s a superstition, we heard,” Henrique said. “We’re enjoying the event as well.”
There was plenty of enjoyment to go around for Brazilian supporters as they scaled the steps in front of the Rocky statue on Thursday evening. Fans danced, sang, set off smoke flares and drummed for hours, making The Oval feel more like Rio de Janeiro than Fairmount.
And, thanks to the statue guards and forewarnings from MVA and Visit PA, Rocky remained shirtless throughout the evening.
The MVA Instagram account posted a warning to its members to abstain from clothing the Rocky statue before Brazilian fans gathered at the steps on Thursday.
“Attention Brazil Fans,” a translated version of the group’s post reads. “It is totally forbidden to put a Brazilian shirt on the Rocky Statue in Philly!!!!!”
Meanwhile, Visit PA warned international fans about the Rocky curse.
“Countless football teams (as in American Football, not Fútbol — same curse, different sport) have all dressed the Rocky Statue in their colors and gone on to lose,” its Instagram post read. “Ecuador dressed Rocky last weekend. Coincidence? Sadly, history says no.”
Henrique was confident about Brazil’s match with Haiti, but he said the team needs all the luck it can get after starting the World Cup with a 1-1 draw against Morocco. Henrique said he had to chide a few people getting too close to the statue.
“Some people don’t know,” Henrique said. “I didn’t know about the superstition until today. Let’s not play with luck. We need luck.”
Henrique plans to watch Friday night’s match from the FIFA Fan Festival in Lemon Hill, but he feels as if he’s already done his part to help the Brazilians avoid an upset.
Gonna Fly Now
After successfully avoiding Rocky’s wrath, Brazil will enter Friday night’s match as favorites over Haiti, which dropped to No. 85 in the FIFA World Ranking after losing its opener to Scotland.
Brazil, ranked No. 5 in the FIFA World Ranking, will be without national legend Neymar for the match. The 34-year-old winger, nursing a calf injury, was not among the group of players that arrived at the Sofitel in Center City on Thursday afternoon.
On the eve of Friday’s World Cup match between Brazil and Haiti, Brazil fans rally for their team on the Art Museum steps in Philadelphia.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Brazilian supporters welcomed players to the team’s hotel, creating a festive but crowded scene at 17th and Sansom around 4 p.m.
Brazil’s team bus arrived to the hotel at 5:10 p.m., and a few Brazilian players, including Gabriel and Raphinha, greeted fans as they walked from the bus to the hotel.
The Seleção will look to secure all three points against the Haitians at Philadelphia Stadium on Friday night. The team and its supporters can rest easy knowing it will not be the next victim of the Rocky curse.
At least two titles will be on the line as UFC returns to Philly for UFC 330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
UFC president Dana White joined The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday and announced that Islam Makhachev (28-1) will defend his welterweight title against Ian Machado Garry (17-1). This will be Makhachev’s first welterweight title defense since he vacated his lightweight title and defeated Jack Della Maddalena by decision at UFC 322 in November for the welterweight title.
Additionally, Mackenzie Dern (16-5) will defend her women’s strawweight title for the first time against Gillian Robertson (17-8). After the belt was vacated by Zhang Weili, Dern earned the vacant title in October after a five-round decision win over Virna Jandiroba.
“This is the first time we’re back in Philly since 2019 … I love Philly, I love Philly cheesesteaks … and I can’t wait to get back there. The fans are the best,” White said, adding that he loves going to Celtics games and getting trash talked by Sixers fans.
In 2019, the UFC held a Fight Night in Philly, featuring a main event between Justin Gaethje and Edson Barboza. But UFC 330 will be the first numbered event and first title fight held in Philadelphia in a decade and a half — dating back to UFC 133 in 2011, in which Rashad Evans defeated Tito Ortiz in the main event.
Will Philly native Sean Brady get a chance to fight in his hometown?courtesy of UFC
Will there be a Philly fighter?
The last time the UFC was in town, there wasn’t a local fighter on the card, despite the city’s deep roster of talent, although Philly fighter-turned-broadcaster Paul Felder was in the booth.
So as the UFC 330 card continues to develop, here are some Philly fighters who could be featured …
Sean Brady: Brady (19-2) wears his Philly roots as a “badge of honor.” After suffering a tough loss to Michael Morales in November, he bounced back with a unanimous decision win over Joaquin Buckley in May at UFC 328.
Joe Pyfer (right) punches Kelvin Gastelum during the first round of a middleweight bout at UFC 316 last June.Frank Franklin II
Pat Sabatini: Sabatini (22-5) is on a four-fight winning streak; his latest victory was via decision over William Gomis at May’s UFC 328. Sabatini has been training in Northeast Philly since he was 5 years old, and hung up his hockey pads for a gi.
Andre Petroski: Petroski (13-7) is on a three-fight losing skid. And when he’s not focused on his own training, he’s working as the Flyers’ fight coach alongside bare knuckle fighter Johnny Garbarino.
Jeremiah Wells: Wells (13-4-1) bounced back from consecutive losses with a decision win over Themba Gorimbo in November. The West Philly native attended Overbrook and was a standout wrestler before moving to the Poconos to train and work.
After a first-round series win over the Boston Celtics, the 76ers’ season ended with a sweep vs. the New York Knicks, which extended the team’s drought of conference finals appearances to 25 seasons.
To help get over their second-round hump, the Sixers, who finished the 2025-26 season with a 45-37 record, hired former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey as their new president of basketball operations. However, the team also has limited salary cap flexibility with three max contracts.
Ahead of the 2026-27 season, here’s where the Sixers rank in some way-too-early NBA power rankings …
The Athletic: No. 8
The Athletic placed teams within five different tiers. Tier 1: top contenders, Tier 2: in a good place, Tier 3: the bubble, Tier 4: not the tier to fear, and Tier 5: basement floor. The Sixers round out Tier 2, checking in at No. 8 behind the Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 7) and the Los Angeles Lakers (No. 6).
“The 76ers were the lone Eastern Conference playoff team that was outscored during the season,” Law Murray wrote. “And they looked like light work for the Celtics through four games of the quarterfinals. But All-NBA point guard Tyrese Maxey, All-Rookie shooting guard VJ Edgecombe, veteran small forward Paul George and former MVP center Joel Embiid put together a great week and overcame a 3-1 deficit.”
Murray added that “Gansey needs to figure out what to do about free agents Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond and Quentin Grimes while seeking to upgrade the power forward position.”
The New York Knicks (No. 1), San Antonio Spurs (No. 2), and Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 3) top The Athletic’s list.
Guard Quentin Grimes is among the Sixers’ free agents.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
ESPN: No. 12
ESPN has the Sixers ranked at No. 12, two spots above their previous ranking. They rank just below the No. 11 Indiana Pacers and the No. 10 Houston Rockets and ahead of the No. 13 Atlanta Hawks.
“With three max contracts on the books, the 76ers only have so much flexibility and will all but certainly be into the luxury tax if they just retain Kelly Oubre and Quentin Grimes, both unrestricted free agents this summer,” Tim Bontemps wrote.
Topping ESPN’s list are the Thunder (No. 1), the Spurs (No. 2), and the Knicks (No. 3).
Sporting News also has the Sixers 12th, below the Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 11) and the Houston Rockets (No. 10), and (again) just ahead of the Hawks.
“It’s impossible to predict what will happen with the Sixers because of the constant drama surrounding the team and the murky health status of Joel Embiid,” Stephen Noh wrote. “He had moments where he looked like his old self on offense, but it’s unreasonable to pencil him in for any more than half of the regular season games.
“Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and VJ Edgecombe are capable of picking up the slack when Embiid is missing. … The Sixers will be a solid team in the East, but they need depth.”
The familiar trio of the Knicks (No. 1), the Spurs (No. 2), and the Thunder (No. 3) top Sporting News’ rankings.
Joel Embiid (left) and Tyrese Maxey are on max contracts.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
FanSided: No. 18
FanSided had the Sixers ranked at No. 13 in its pre-playoffs ranking. After another second-round exit, they fell to the No. 18 ranking and into the outlet’s fifth tier: “teams that won’t tank but deep down might want to.”
Joining them in Tier 5 are the Charlotte Hornets (No. 16), the Indiana Pacers (No. 17), the Phoenix Suns (No. 19) and the Utah Jazz (No. 20).
“The 76ers financial situation is such a calamity, I can’t even detail it here” Oliver Fox wrote. “This team has to start thinking draft-first with building around Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe; it’s not The Process, but they need fresh talent.”
FanSided also has the Thunder (No. 1), Knicks (No. 2), and Spurs (No. 3) listed in its top tier.
Bleacher Report: No. 18
Bleacher Report placed the Sixers at No. 18, below the Los Angeles Clippers (No. 17) and the Toronto Raptors (No. 16) and ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers (No. 19).
“And though Embiid still has moments when he looks like the kind of player who can contend for MVPs and be the No. 1 option on a contender, his health remains one of the biggest question marks in the league,” Andy Bailey wrote.
“There may not be any teams willing to assume that question from Philadelphia, but the 76ers have to seriously consider moving Embiid and moving into an era solidly built around Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.”
The Knicks top the list, followed by the Spurs (No. 2) and the Thunder (No. 3).
On Tuesday, the team traded goalie Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae, and a third-round pick in next week’s draft to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for goalie Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoît.
There are still a few months before fans will see the Flyers’ latest additions on the ice, and that leaves plenty of time to get familiar with the new additions off the ice.
Here are five things to know about the newest Flyers …
High IQ player
Goalies are often regarded as some of the quirkier players on the ice, and while Flyers fans have grown accustomed to Dan Vladař and his un-goalie-like habits, the new member of the Flyers’ tandem seems to better fit the adage.
Woll’s uniqueness lies less in quirks and superstitions and more in his intellect and cerebral approach.
Joseph Woll was his high school’s valedictorian and can play piano by ear.Connor Hamilton
A straight-A student, Woll attended Westminster Christian Academy in the St. Louis area for his first two years of high school, originally committing to Harvard as a sophomore. When he moved to Ann Arbor, Mich., to join the United States National Team Development Program, he attended Pioneer High School and graduated valedictorian.
He flipped his commitment, ultimately playing for Boston College where he earned a finance degree and the school’s scholar-athlete award.
Goal(ie) song
Woll’s intellect and talent intersect at his love of music.
With an interest in music theory and the ability to play the piano by ear, Woll’s talent comes from his great grandmother, who shared the same musical ability.
Playing since he was young, Woll revealed in a 2024 YouTube video posted by the Maple Leafs that he doesn’t do well reading music, but enjoys the instrument more when he can play from memory or from ear.
He even performed Hans Zimmer’s theme from Interstellar at the Maple Leafs’ Blue and White Gala while recovering from an ankle sprain in 2024.
Benoît was an undrafted free agent in 2018 before signing an AHL contract with the San Diego Gulls, the affiliate team of the Anaheim Ducks. He then signed an entry-level contract with the Ducks in 2019, playing six games for Anaheim in the 2020-21 season before appearing in 131 games over the next two seasons.
The 2020-21 season was the same time that current Flyers Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras started their careers with Anaheim.
In May, ahead of the 2021 American Hockey League playoffs, the trio were all sent back down to the Gulls. Because of the pandemic, the Calder Cup was not awarded that season, but the three all competed in playoff AHL hockey together for Anaheim.
Benoît was then traded to the Maple Leafs before the 2023-24 season. Drysdale was traded to the Flyers in January of that same season. Zegras followed suit last season, with each of their paths bringing them back together as teammates in Philly.
A ‘whole’ new meaning to 3.8%
On a January 2024 episode of the Mitts Off with Luke Gazdic podcast, Benoît spoke passionately about his love for milk, adding that he keeps glass bottles in the refrigerator and admitting he cannot sleep without it.
When asked which kind of milk he preferred, Benoît’s answer perfectly foreshadowed his new team.
“The whole milk, 3.8%, that’s the real stuff,” Benoît said.
During their playoff run this season, 3.8% was closely tied to the Flyers. Of course, it wasn’t dairy-related, but rather reflected their underdog role — as late as March 18, the Flyers had just a 3.8% chance of making the playoffs.
While the Flyers and their new defenseman might have different associations for the number, having a link to the same percentage down to the decimal point seems like a good sign for Benoît’s fit in Philadelphia.
Coffee connoisseur
Milk isn’t the only beverage Benoît has publicly revealed his appreciation for.
Arriving at Scotiabank Arena ahead of a matchup against the Colorado Avalanche in March 2025, Benoît was seen carrying in a silver briefcase.
Benoît revealed that the briefcase was actually a coffee machine for his pregame flat whites.
Simon Benoit says the briefcase holds a non-electric coffee machine so he can brew his pre-game flat white just the way he likes it. https://t.co/Roiuh0jvwn
When Ecuadorian soccer content creator Leandro de Vera, aka DonFutbol, tied his country’s flag around the neck of the Rocky statue at the top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s steps, he was unaware of the butterfly effect he had set in motion.
De Vera inadvertently triggered the “Rocky statue curse” — a jinx that comes into effect when a team’s fans dress the boxer in an opposing team’s gear — at an Ecuadorian fan celebration at the Art Museum on Saturday.
Earlier that day, two Ecuadorian journalists from Guayaquil’s Radio Diblu had warned fans not to put flags or jerseys on the statue.
“The people of Philadelphia say doing that doesn’t bring good luck and can make a team lose,” reporter Carlos Morales said Saturday, standing by the Rocky statue at the base of the Art Museum.
“The recommendation is to take a picture, put your flag next to it, but don’t put anything on him,” reporter Nico Rivera added.
In the past, multiple NFL fan bases have dressed the statue in their team’s colors prior to a matchup with the Eagles. Most went on to see their team lose. Most notably, Vikings fans wrapped a purple towel around Rocky’s waist before being blown out 38-7 in the 2017 NFC Championship. The Patriots, 49ers, and Commanders have fallen to the same jinx.
Philadelphia sports magic strikes again 🥊
The moment Ecuador fans put their shirt on Rocky, the outcome was inevitable 🫣 pic.twitter.com/IeqYaICygy
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) June 15, 2026
Ecuador was no exception. On Sunday, to kick off World Cup play in Philadelphia, Ecuador was defeated by Ivory Coast, 1-0, at Lincoln Financial Field, renamed Philadelphia Stadium for the World Cup. Ivory Coast’s single goal came in the 90th minute. Meanwhile, Ecuador could not catch a break. The team hit the post three times — becoming just the fourth team in World Cup history to do so and go on to lose.
Perhaps it was the emotion, naivete, or the fact that de Vera was standing on the Rocky statue at the top of the steps, rather than the bottom. But his excitement was apparent when he climbed the statue, screaming: “Friends, we are here in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rocky is from Ecuador — Rocky Zambrano,” he proclaimed in Spanish, baptizing the Philly icon with a common Ecuadorian last name.
Ecuadorian soccer fans attend a flag waving event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, ahead of their first round World Cup match against the Ivory Coast, on Saturday, June 13, 2026.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Ecuadorian Instagram commenters reacted in horror, letting the content creator know of the bad omen he had cast upon their team.
“Friends, it’s amazing how much I’ve been insulted for putting the flag on Rocky,” said de Vera in Spanish in a video posted to social media. “I look at my direct messages, and they’re dragging my mamita [mother] through the mud.”
After Ecuador lost, the hate worsened. One fan even approached de Vera to take a photograph with him just to caption it: “with the most insulted person in Ecuador.”
“It’s been tough since the game ended,” de Vera told The Inquirer in Spanish.
De Vera’s own superstitiousness has made the entire situation harder to deal with. He commonly wears different-colored socks to send his team good luck, and it hurt him personally not to have known about the curse ahead of time. If he had, he would have never touched the statue.
“I was just excited, and there was so much going on I didn’t even realize people were screaming ‘no’ to me until much later,” he said.
De Vera meant no disrespect to his team or to Rocky, he said. He just wanted to bring both Philly and Ecuadorian cultures together, hence giving the fictional boxer a temporary Ecuadorian last name.
“I saw the first movie, but by the time he was done climbing the stairs, I was so out of breath I couldn’t watch the other movies,” de Vera said jokingly. “Let’s wait until the World Cup ends and I will watch the rest. I owe it to the city.”
A young Ecuadorian soccer fan sits under the Ecuadorian flag during a flag waving event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, ahead of Ecuador’s first round World Cup match against the Ivory Coast on Saturday, June 13, 2026.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
‘I think I messed up’
De Vera wasn’t alone in taking the blame.
Colombian social media star Beta Mejía, who is dating Ecuadorian influencer Alejandra Jaramillo, was also in the hot seat after videos of him doing the same went viral. As he wrapped the flag around the statue’s shoulders, shouts of “No” from Ecuadorian fans familiar with the curse rained down the museum steps.
Beta Mejía 🇪🇨 protagonizó un curioso momento en Filadelfia 🥊 al intentar colocar una bandera ecuatoriana sobre la famosa estatua de Rocky, pero su acción fue detenida de inmediato con un contundente “¡No, no, no!” 😅. pic.twitter.com/EZax5oWb0p
— ÚLTIMA HORA ECUADOR (@UltimaHoraEC_) June 14, 2026
“Parse, I think I messed up,” Mejía said in Spanish on a video Sunday before the match. “God, it’s me again, your favorite soldier; I didn’t know, I really didn’t know.”
Mejía blamed his actions on an act of kindness, saying he was trying to help a fan who had passed him the flag. After the backlash, he looked to reverse the bad luck. On video, Mejía lit four candles, praying for God to bless the Ecuadorian players with his blood.
“Fear nothing,” Mejía said, ending his video quoting Ecuadorian player Niño Moi (Moisés Caicedo) and rooting for the team to win.
Ecuadorian soccer fan Freddy Baquelo cheers during a flag waving event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, ahead of their first round World Cup match against the Ivory Coast on Saturday, June 13, 2026.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Along with de Vera and Mejía, another fan dressed Rocky, attaching a custom Rocky jersey to the statue. He explained his rationale on an Instagram post:
“This is my good luck charm,” Gigio Benavides Peralta wrote. “Traveling for more than 26 hours, more than 5000km from Loja Ecuador to fulfill my promise to put the T-shirt on Rocky. For if I did that, Ecuador would win the World Cup… Let’s go Ecuador.. thanks to @maconsport and my Aunt Odi who helped me make the shirt.”
Despite the supposed Rocky curse, many Ecuadorians on social media seemed to think the bad omen did not come from the shirt or flags, but rather from having the president at the match.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa left the small South American country on June 11 for a four-day U.S. diplomatic trip meant to build bilateral relationships with the United States. He was captured at the game by FIFA cameras, shocking many Ecuadorians.
In a post-match video posted by Ecuador TV, Noboa was recorded leaving the stadium with his cabinet and a band of security guards.
Ecuadorian fans are heard in the background booing him, surrounding his convoy, calling him “salado” (an Ecuadorian word for someone with or who brings bad luck), and shouting that he “came for a vacation.”
Philadelphians react — and also blame Hard Rock Cafe ‘takeover’
Meanwhile, Philadelphia fans are having a bit of fun with the whole ordeal.
“Attention all teams visiting Philly, if you put your jersey on the Rocky Statue the ghost of Adrian will direct all of your shots towards a goalpost,” one wrote on X. “She and Paulie haunt the Linc, it’s a thing.”
As one fan pointed out on social media, Ecuador may have been jinxed by its fans flocking to the Market Street Hard Rock Cafe — just as Commanders fans did before their team’s 55-23 loss to the Eagles in the 2025 NFC Championship.
"Philadelphia has a cursed Hard Rock Cafe" is honestly just fun world building. Love this development. https://t.co/u5GN2objpJ
— one dozen rats at a keyboard (@PanasonicDX4500) June 15, 2026
A Commanders fan known as Tailgate Ted proudly proclaimed that his fan base had taken over the chain outpost prior to the 2025 conference championship game. At the time, the video received mass ridicule from the Philadelphia faithful, including Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott, as the restaurant has little cultural significance to the city.
“Oh no the Philly Hard Rock has fallen. Maybe next they will take over Applebees,” one Eagles fan wrote at the time.
On Saturday, Ecuador will face Curaçao in Kansas City before playing Germany in New York on June 25. De Valera is hoping to enact the Rocky curse again — this time for his benefit.
“We are not out of the World Cup; Argentina once lost [their first match] and still won the World Cup,” de Valera said. “But now that I know, I am going to buy a Germany flag for Rocky ahead of the game.”
Ecuadorian soccer fans wave their flags ahead of their first round World Cup match against the Ivory Coast during a flag waving event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Saturday, June 13, 2026.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Many of baseball’s biggest stars are coming to Philadelphia next month, but fans hoping to see them in person may have to dig deep into their wallets.
MLB All-Star week begins July 10 with a week of activities, culminating with the 96th All-Star Game on July 14 at Citizens Bank Park.
Seats on StubHub for the All-Star Game range from $651 to more than $7,000 for two seats together, as of Friday evening. A single ticket starts at $645. Standing-room-only tickets start at $667 each.
For the Home Run Derby on July 13, the cheapest price is $509 for one ticket and $503 each for two tickets together. Outfield tickets in the 100 Level, which offer the greatest chance of catching a home run ball, start at $1,201.
Phillies fans cheer and look to catch a home run hit by Kyle Schwarber in March.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Last year in Atlanta, prices were lower. Ticketmaster listed seats starting at about $221, while StubHub and SeatGeek were just under $300.
The soaring ticket prices hardly are surprising, given the city’s historic summer. The All-Star Game is returning to Philadelphia for the first time since 1996, and the city also is hosting FIFA World Cup matches and celebrations surrounding America’s 250th anniversary.
With the FIFA World Cup, the PGA Championship, and the MLB All-Star Game happening within weeks of one another, Philadelphia sports fans are soaking up one of the busiest stretches in sports history.
Starting Sunday, Philadelphia is hosting five group-stage matches and a Round of 16 match at Lincoln Financial Field (temporarily known as Philadelphia Stadium). World Cup tickets have become one of the hottest commodities in sports this summer, and he cheapest single ticket for the July 4 Round of 16 Match is $1,333, and $1,286 each for two tickets together on StubHub.
A $663 ticket to the All-Star Game doesn’t seem as outrageous now.
Just over 20 miles outside the city, Aronimink Golf Club hosted the 2026 PGA Championship. It drew such strong interest that tickets for the championship rounds sold out on official sites months in advance.
Fans turned to resale markets to secure tickets to golf’s second major championship of the year. Daily tickets were resold on SeatGeek starting at $423.
If you ask some Philadelphia fans, Taylor Swift’s claim to the city should be revoked.
On Wednesday, Swift sat on Madison Square Garden’s celebrity row to watch the New York Knicks, who swept the Sixers out of the playoffs last month, claw back from a 29-point deficit against the San Antonio Spurs to take a three-games-to-one series lead in the NBA Finals. Swift, who’s from Reading and spent her childhood summers in Stone Harbor, N.J., cheered on New York despite her strong ties to the Philadelphia area.
The pop star wore a blue T-shirt with “Stevie Knicks” — a nod to Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks — printed in Knicks orange. She was seated between friends and fellow musicians Este and Alana Haim, who sported “Knickole Kidman” and “Knickelback” shirts, and Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay, whose character, Olivia Benson, inspired one of Swift’s cats’ names.
So, what’s actually going on? Did Swift ever rep the Sixers or has she always been a big Knicks fan?
In April 2002, a 12-year old Swift performed the national anthem before the Sixers tipped off against the Detroit Pistons at the First Union Center (now Xfinity Mobile Arena). Sixers public address announcer Matt Cord, who retired after this past season, introduced the future global star as “Taylor Swift from Reading, Pa.”
Swift, who also performed the anthem before Game 3 of the 2008 World Series at Citizens Bank Park, recently reflected on singing at her hometown NBA team’s arena during a December appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, but she did not mention where her NBA fandom lies. She instead focused on the American flag-themed attire she wore.
“You know, when you’re like 11 and you’ve got that one outfit that you just know goes so hard,” Swift said. “You just know that when you put this on, you’re like, ‘I’m sorry, I’m unstoppable today.’”
In 2014, Swift told Time magazine that she began to root for New York earlier that year when she moved to the Big Apple. That year, the “Process Sixers” went 19-63, but the Knicks were not worldbeaters either, finishing 37-45. Her reason for embracing the Knicks evidently was not because of how the team was playing. Instead, it was because of a friendship she formed with New York big man Amar’e Stoudemire.
“So you run into a bunch of different, interesting types of people at the Met Ball,” Swift told Time. “I’ve gone the last four years. And the most normal people at that event, every single time, are Amar’e Stoudemire and his wife Alexis. I talk with them and hang with them every time I’m there. So I’ve always had this sort of love of the Knicks, just because Amar’e is so cool.”
It also seems the Sixers did not claim a special place in Swift’s heart because they invited her to sing, either. In fact, as she told Time, she also performed at Madison Square Garden as a child. The Mecca seemed to leave a greater impression on her than the Sixers’ South Philly arena.
“And also I performed at the Knicks’ — at Madison Square Garden’s kids talent competition at halftime when I was 12 or 13,” Swift said. “And ever since then, I’ve had this kind of sparkly, magical opinion of Madison Square Garden and the Knicks, since they let me sing when I was a little kid.”
As some on social media have pointed out, Swift also attended Game 3 of the Knicks’ Eastern Conference finals matchup at the Cleveland Cavaliers. At that game, seated next to her fiancé and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, she appeared to root for the Cavaliers — not the Knicks. Kelce and his brother, retired Eagles great Jason Kelce, are from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and have been public in their support for the Cavs.
Am I tripping or was she not just rooting for the Cavs against the Knicks in the last series lmaoo https://t.co/aCoFWt359F
Swift’s relationship with the Eagles does not leave many clues to where her loyalty lies, either. Despite previously performing in Eagles jerseys and mentioning the team in her 2020 song “gold rush,” Swift seemingly ditched the Birds after she began to date Kelce. Since then, she has supported Kansas City.
This is a very important reminder to everyone that Taylor Swift is an Eagles fan. 🦅 pic.twitter.com/Sw4viIt8MV
It seems that Swift will have to correct the record on her favorite teams. Until then, a small sect of Philadelphia Swifties will likely hold out hope. The rest? They seem to have given up.
Among the Delaware Valley connections are athletes, coaches, entrepreneurs, and even gamers. Here’s a look at six people with ties to the Philly area, whether that means they played here or, as is the case for several, are actually from here …
Dawn Staley
The longtime South Carolina women’s basketball coach grew up in North Philly and graduated from Dobbins Tech in 1988 before playing collegiately at Virginia. Staley split an eight-year WNBA career with the folded Charlotte Sting and Houston Comets and simultaneously served as the head coach of Temple women’s basketball. During her nine seasons on North Broad, Staley led the Owls to six NCAA Tournament appearances and four Atlantic 10 titles.
She’s found even more success since moving to the Palmetto State — her Gamecocks have won three NCAA titles in the last decade and have made eight Final Four appearances, including in each of the last six years. Staley, who has already been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, also won four Olympic gold medals, three as a player and one as a coach.
Saquon Barkley
Barkley’s signing with the Eagles in 2024 marked a full-circle moment for the running back, who grew up in the Lehigh Valley. Out of Whitehall High School, Barkley committed to Penn State as a four-star recruit. Back-to-back seasons of 18 rushing touchdowns led to Barkley being selected second overall by the New York Giants in 2018. During his six years in North Jersey, Barkley only played in two playoff games.
It almost feels as if Barkley’s inclusion is coming a year too late. In 2024, his first season in Philadelphia, Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season on his way to winning the franchise’s second Super Bowl and being named the NFL’s offensive player of the year and a first-team All-Pro. But given his overall dominance, high profile, and previous time in the Big Apple, Barkley’s influence remains.
Actor Rob Mac loves the Eagles, and was on hand for the team’s home opener last season.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Rob Mac
Many know Rob Mac (formerly McElhenney) as the creator of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which is still going strong more than two decades later as it prepares for its 18th season. But recently, the St. Joseph’s Prep grad has ventured into the sports scene. In September of 2020, McElhenney and fellow actor Ryan Reynolds purchased Welsh soccer team Wrexham AFC. The team earned a league promotion in three consecutive seasons, a feat nearly unheard of across the sport.
Leveraging his TV background, the 49-year-old launched Welcome to Wrexham in 2022, a documentary series following the team. With Wrexham one promotion from the Premier League, Mac and Reynolds’ sports interest have extended outside English soccer. The pair also purchased minority stakes in the Alpine F1 team, as well as Mexican soccer team Club Necaxa, which also got the docuseries treatment last year.
The Fanatics CEO and former Sixers limited partner grew up in Lafayette Hill. His entrepreneurial spirit was ignited at the young age of 13, when he used his Bar Mitzvah money to open up a ski store. Now 53, Rubin’s slightly larger venture, Fanatics, has become a rapidly expanding empire. The New York-based company holds exclusive merchandise and collectibles licensing rights for all of the big four professional sports and produces on-field/ice jerseys for MLB and the NHL.
In recent years, Fanatics has also taken over smaller brands, like Topps and Philly-based Mitchell & Ness, and has expanded into gambling and other sports-related businesses.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson celebrates a three-point basket in front of actor Timothée Chalamet during Game 3 of New York’s second-round series against the Sixers.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Jalen Brunson
The central New Jersey native grew up an Eagles fan, a fact many New Yorkers are content ignoring as the 29-year-old guard looks to lead the Knicks to their first championship since 1973. Brunson certainly knows a thing or two about winning. During three seasons at Villanova, Brunson won two NCAA championships. During the 2018 season, Brunson averaged 18.9 points and was the consensus national player of the year.
Brunson’s Philly area connections run deeper, however. His father, Rick, now an assistant with the Knicks, played college basketball at Temple and spent several years as the head boys’ basketball coach at Camden High, which is likely what led Brunson to rooting for the Eagles over the Giants or Jets. When Brunson had his number retired by Villanova in 2023, he ended the ceremony with a “go Birds.”
Recognized as one of the world’s most dominant League of Legends players, Faker, “the LeBron James” of esports, is a team member and part owner of T1 Entertainment & Sports, a joint venture between Comcast Spectacor and Korea-based SK Telecom. Back in November, T1, which got its start in Philly and has some local ties in its leadership, won its third consecutive League of Legends championship.
No matter what social media tells you, Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts are still pretty popular.
For the second year in a row, the Eagles’ offensive duo ranked in the top 10 in jersey and merchandise sales, according to the NFL Players Association’s year-end list. Barkley’s jersey was the third highest-selling overall, while Hurts finished seventh. In fact, this year marked the third straight that a pair of Eagles appeared in the top 10 — in 2024, Hurts and Jason Kelce placed first and second, respectively.
The list took into account all officially licensed player products purchased from March 2025 through February 2026. The merchandise, which sold for more than $1.9 billion across more than 50 countries, according to the NFLPA, includes jerseys, drinkware, bobbleheads, accessories, and more.
“Fans have more choices than ever when it comes to the players they follow and support, and the Year-End Top 50 gives us a real look at who they’re showing up for,” president of NFL Players Inc. Matt Curtin said in a release.
After surpassing 2,000 rushing yards during the Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl season, Barkley finished with 1,140 and seven touchdowns last season. The running back’s drop in production coincided with a slight dip in popularity. Barkley was ranked the top-selling player a year prior, but he still topped all running backs in total merchandise sold for the second straight year.
Barkley also finished in the top five in almost nearly every other listed category, including jersey sales, FOCO bobbleheads, Fathead wall decals, and shirts from BreakingT and 500 LEVEL.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts ranked seventh in jersey sales last seasonJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Hurts, who passed for 3,224 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2025, suffered a dip in sales as well, falling from third to seventh overall. In terms of quarterbacks, Hurts trailed Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen (No. 1), Patriots’ Drake Maye (No. 2), Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels (No. 5), and Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes (No. 6).
The Eagles quarterback did prove to be especially popular with the next generation of rabid fans. He ranked second in youth apparel sales, trailing just Mahomes. Barkley was fourth in the category.
The only other team to boast two players in the top 10 overall was the Green Bay Packers. Quarterback Jordan Love ranked ninth overall while linebacker Micah Parsons, who the team acquired last season from the Dallas Cowboys, rounded out the top 10.
But Barkley and Hurts weren’t alone. Two more Eagles also made the NFLPA’s top-50 highest sellers list.
Cooper DeJean topped all NFL defensive backs in total merchandise sold last season.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
At No. 22, Cooper DeJean topped all NFL defensive backs in total merchandise sold. After a breakout rookie year, DeJean logged 93 total tackles and two interceptions during his sophomore season, which also resulted in his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections. DeJean climbed 20 spots from No. 42 last year.
Former Eagles receiver A.J. Brown, on the other hand, fell 26 spots and just made the list at No. 50. There is also likely a bit of buyer’s remorse for Birds fans who recently bought the wideout’s gear. Last week, Brown was traded to the New England Patriots. He caught 78 passes for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns during his final season with Philadelphia.
But now that he’s playing in a new team’s uniform, there’s a good chance Brown skyrockets back up this list next season. Perhaps his departure will have a similar effect on new Eagles No. 1 wideout, DeVonta Smith, who was 29th last June but fell off this year’s list.
