Philadelphia preparing for post-NFC championship riots with Crisco on lampposts
While the Philadelphia Eagles have been preparing for the NFC championship game, the city of Philadelphia has been engaged in preparations of its own. But the city isn’t preparing for the game. It’s preparing for the aftermath.
[Stream the NFL Playoffs live on the Yahoo Sports mobile app]
Though mass rioting is often reserved for league championships, not conference championships, Philly is bracing for large gatherings downtown in the event of an Eagles win over the Minnesota Vikings.
One of the precautionary measures, apparently, is the greasing of lampposts with Crisco to prevent fans from climbing them Sunday night:
Good morning from Philly where crews from the city are greasing the light poles with Crisco to prevent #Eagles fans from climbing after the #NFCChampionshipGame tonight. #Vikings pregame coverage starts at 3 on FOX9. They call themselves the #CriscoCops pic.twitter.com/w1ZkYWZhYG
— FOX 9 Sports (@Fox9Sports) January 21, 2018
Make jokes about the notorious rowdiness of Philadelphia fans all you want – or be petrified of it, like some Minnesotans apparently are – but this could end up looking very smart in several hours. At the least, it’s probably harmless.
It’s not Philadelphia’s only plan for a potential victory celebration, though. It is drawing on experience from its last riotous party, after the Phillies won the World Series in 2008.
One local police chief has advised businesses in his area to make sure their gates are down, and that trash cans and flower pots are brought inside. It is asking bars to sell alcohol in plastic cups, rather than bottles. There will be parking restrictions between 3 p.m. Sunday and 3 a.m. Monday.
Eagles fans want the big prize, not just the NFC championship. It’s unlikely celebrations on Sunday would get too wild. But maybe the city’s preparations, in a weird way, will encourage over-the-top celebrations if the Birds do beat the Vikings.
Surely no lampposts will be toppled, though. The Crisco is probably best saved for Super Bowl Sunday, if the Eagles get there.