The Law’s Role Amidst a Championship Run in One of America’s Most Fanatical Sports Cities

Simultaneously lauded for their passion and criticized for how it is expressed, in Philadelphia a sports championship celebration is often associated with wanton violence and an uptick in crime from fans. Viral videos have shown people flooding the streets, poles being climbed, streetlamps being uprooted, and even cars being flipped. If their reputation precedes them, how do law makers and enforcement adapt to the success of their most beloved team?

The Philadelphia Eagles are now reigning Super Bowl Champions of the National Football League (NFL). They earned this title by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl on February 9th of this year, 2025. [[i]] This championship run began January 5th, 2025, the day after the final “regular season” game of the 2024-2025 NFL season, and ran through February 9th, 2025, the night of the championship match in the ‘Super Bowl.’ [[ii]]

Before the night of the game, Mayor Cherelle Parker stressed the importance of safety in the face of the night’s potential celebrations: “When we win, and people inevitably wind up on Broad Street or at Frankford and Cottman … be respectful of our fellow Eagles fans.” [[iii]] On the night of February 9th, thousands of people were estimated to have flooded the streets of the city to celebrate the team’s victory. [[iv]] Many of the celebrations that followed the big win included firework launches in city streets, pole climbing, and, of course, tremendous amounts of drinking. [[v]]

When the dust settled from the night’s festivities, however, the Philadelphia Police Department reported “no major problems or injuries.” [[vi]] The police reportedly made 10 arrests overall that night, 6 of which were for charges of assaulting officers. [[vii]] Police also took 8 people into custody for vandalism charges but only 1 for disorderly conduct. [[viii]] With no other arrests made, and other violations of the law seemingly abundant, some violations of the law seem to have been unofficially pardoned.

Should a local sports victory really dictate how the laws be enforced? The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) submitted and published a “best practices” report on securing special events of national or regional importance such as sporting events, concerts, and cultural exhibitions. [[ix]] This report, “Planning and Managing Security For Major Special Events: Guidelines for Law Enforcement,” outlines the priorities for maximizing the safety of communities during events just like the night-of celebrations and Super Bowl parade. [[x]] One of the report’s top recommendations includes their “Threat and Risk Assessments” where they name common crimes such as robberies and assaults, fires, vandalism, protests, and more as potential threats but focus more on stopping any potential casualties as a higher priority in ensuring the “success” of these event plans. [[xi]]

The main focus of the report being prevention of tragedies, casualties, and terrorist attacks may explain the Philadelphia Police Department’s specific arrest patterns on February 9th. A small number of arrests on a night with significant police presence and bold, sometimes blatant, action by many citizens in violation of the law may be the result of a strategic choice in the face of celebrations to enforce protections against the biggest threats as opposed to diverting resources to smaller crimes.

And there is some evidence that this focus may minimize overall violence. According to the Philadelphia Police Department’s official website, homicides in Philadelphia are down nearly 28% Year-To-Date (YTD) in 2025 so far (from 43 in 2024 to 31 in 2025 as of February 24th). [[xii]] In fact, violent crime rates are down nearly 17% across all categories. [[xiii]] This includes a 41.67% decrease in rapes, a 31% decrease in robberies committed with guns, 20% decrease in robberies committed otherwise, 19% decrease in aggravated assaults committed with guns, and 5% decrease in aggravated assaults committed otherwise. [[xiv]] These trends speak strongly when considering the ample opportunity for crime with large crowds assembling to celebrate within the city on multiple occasions.

In fact, theft from person is the only crime listed that has increased YTD from 2024 to 2025. [[xv]] This increase, however, matches the DOJ COPS recommendation to prioritize minimizing the risk of huge violent crimes at the potential expense of stopping every ‘petty crime.’ With over one million estimated to have been in attendance for the customary Super Bowl parade on February 14th in addition to the celebrations on February 9th, the high number of thefts makes logical sense. [[xvi]].

Philadelphia is a unique city with a unique relationship with its sports teams – none of whom are more beloved than the Philadelphia Eagles. When you walk down the street in Philadelphia in the throes of an Eagles playoff run, you can almost feel the city coming together to rally for their birds. The mania is almost contagious. Amidst the mania, the city’s police department is charged with protecting against catastrophic tragedy – a danger ironically at its peak while citizens flock to the streets in jubilation. Faced with this great danger, the enforcement of less violent crimes takes a backseat – leading to unique circumstances of law enforcement in Philadelphia as a direct result of the Eagles’ success.

[i] https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/phi/2024.htm

[ii] Id.

[iii] Celia Bernhardt, Philly’s game plan: How the city is preparing for Super Bowl celebrations, why.org (Feb. 6, 2025), https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-super-bowl-preparations-safety-police/#:~:text=To%20support%20the%20city's%20police,deploying%20additional%20teams%2C%20as%20well

[iv] Cory Sharber, After a blowout Super Bowl win, Eagles fans celebrate the ‘best night’ of their lives, whyy.org (Feb. 10, 2025), https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-eagles-fans-center-city-celebrate-super-bowl-59-win/

[v] Id.

[vi] 6 ABC Digital Staff and Annie McCormick, Eagles parade safety: Officials urge parade-goers to have a plan ahead of Super Bowl celebrations, 6abc.com (Feb. 14, 2025), https://6abc.com/post/eagles-parade-safety-officials-urge-goers-have-plan-ahead-philadelphias-super-bowl-celebrations/15901975/#:~:text=Eagles%20fans%20came%20out%20in,were%20charged%20with%20assaulting%20officers.

[vii] Id.

[viii] Id.

[ix] Edward Connors, Planning And Managing Security For Major Special Events: Guidelines for Law Enforcement, U.S. Department of Justice (2007), https://portal.cops.usdoj.gov/resourcecenter/content.ashx/cops-w0703-pub.pdf

[x] Id.

[xi] Id.

[xii] Philadelphia Police Department, https://www.phillypolice.com/crime-data/crime-statistics/ (last visited Feb. 24, 2025).

[xiii] Id.

[xiv] Id.

[xv] Id.

[xvi] Jeff Tomik, Eagles parade by the numbers: From 700 pounds of confetti to 15 jumbotrons, phillyvoice.com (Feb. 13, 2025), https://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-parade-numbers-route-confetti-temperature-jumbotron/