The Curse of William Penn is a belief or superstition prevalent in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to this curse, any professional sports team based in Philadelphia will be doomed to lose a championship if the statue of William Penn, located on top of City Hall, is not the tallest structure in the city. The curse originated in the 1980s, when the construction of skyscrapers in the city resulted in buildings surpassing the height of the William Penn statue. Until then, Philadelphia's sports teams had experienced success, but after the height record was broken, a championship drought began. The curse gained further prominence in 2007, when the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team planned to build a new stadium. As a tribute to William Penn, they included a statue of him on top of their stadium.
Construction workers rush to stop Curse of Billy Penn, but Eagles lose anyway. Is there still hope?
The Curse of Billy Penn is nothing to trifle with, as Philadelphia sports fans know.
Philly fans first became aware of it in the 1980s, when Philadelphia teams simply couldn't seem to win anything. The blame was placed on the newly constructed Liberty Place One, which was the tallest building in the city at the time -- and had broken a gentleman's agreement in its construction.
That agreement was that no building would be higher than the hat of the statue of William "Billy" Penn which stood atop of Philadelphia's City Hall.
It would take decades before the curse would be broken.
And Philadelphians had Comcast to thank for it.
The Comcast Center was already the tallest building in the city in 2007, during its construction. So to help Philadelphia teams win games, it placed a four-inch Billy Penn statue on its roof.
In 2008, the Comcast Center officially opened. The Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series that same year.
So as the newest and tallest Philadelphia skyscraper, the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center, nears completion, ironworkers have taken the city's sports destiny into their own hands.
On Nov. 30, construction workers rushed to finish placing the final steel beams and placed a tiny William Penn statue on the topmost beam of the construction, according to Philly.com. Their work ensures that the founder of Pennsylvania still stands at the highest point in the city. It was all done to ensure the Curse of Billy Penn wouldn't muck up the Philadelphia Eagles' chances for the Super Bowl this year.
Only thing is, it hasn't appeared to work -- yet.
The Philadelphia Eagles suffered their second loss this season days later -- their first since the September game against the Kansas City Chiefs. They lost, 24-10 to the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 3.
Does that mean the ironworkers were too late to quell the anger of Billy Penn? Or did they jinx the team's current good luck by even acknowledging the curse?
Time will tell, but we have high hopes for the long run. After all, Penn is back on top in the city, so surely the curse has been banished for the moment -- even if it did have a temporary flare up.
The way we see it, it's all up to the Eagles players now. the supernatural reasons for loss have been quashed by a group of construction workers who are true Philly sports fans.
Stay up-to-date with all of PennLive's Philadelphia Eagles coverage by clicking here. Want more stories about Philly in general? Click here for all our coverage of the City of Brotherly Love.
This story has been updated to correct the year the Billy Penn statue was placed on Comcast Center.
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As a tribute to William Penn, they included a statue of him on top of their stadium. However, the statue stood shorter than the newly constructed skyscrapers, thus angering the mythical curse. This newfound curse seemed to take effect as Philadelphia's sports teams struggled to win championships.
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The Curse of Billy Penn
The curse of Billy Penn was a curse that was believed to cause the futility of Philadelphia’s major sports teams in their respective championships starting 1987. The curse is connected with the construction of the One Liberty Place building which surpassed the height of the William Penn’s statue perched on the Philadelphia City Hall. The curse lasted up to 2008 when the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series. Incidentally, this was just over a year after a four inch figurine of William Penn was placed atop the Comcast Center, which was completed that year and is currently the tallest building in Philly.
The Phillies, Eagles (football), 76ers (basketball), and Flyers (hockey) all faced repeated disappointments in their pursuit of titles. The curse finally broke in 2008 when a construction worker, noticing the curse as a possible reason for the teams' misfortunes, affixed a miniature statue of William Penn to the top of the tallest building in Philadelphia at that time. Soon after, the Phillies won the World Series, breaking the curse and bringing a sense of relief to the city. Since then, the curse has lost some of its mythical power, with Philadelphia's teams experiencing success in the years that followed. However, many sports fans in the city still hold a soft spot for the legend and believe that the curse could potentially resurface if the statue of William Penn again finds itself overshadowed by a taller structure. In conclusion, the Curse of William Penn is a unique and intriguing superstition associated with the sports teams of Philadelphia. Although it may be rooted in myth and coincidence, the curse has played a role in the city's sports psyche for decades, and its impact on local fans and athletes should not be underestimated..
Reviews for "The Haunting Legacy: How William Penn's Curse Shapes Philadelphia Today"
1. John - 2 stars: I was really disappointed with "Curse of William Penn". The plot was convoluted and hard to follow, and the characters were underdeveloped. The film had the potential to be a gripping horror, but it fell flat due to poor execution. The scares were cheap and predictable, lacking any real tension or suspense. Overall, I found myself bored and uninterested throughout the entire movie.
2. Sarah - 1 star: "Curse of William Penn" was one of the worst horror films I've ever seen. The acting was absolutely terrible, with the characters delivering their lines in a wooden and unbelievable manner. The special effects were laughable and looked incredibly fake. The jump scares were so forced that they didn't even startle me. I was highly disappointed and would not recommend this film to anyone looking for a good horror experience.
3. Mike - 2 stars: As a fan of horror movies, I had high hopes for "Curse of William Penn", but it ultimately let me down. The story was unoriginal, following the same tired tropes of other haunted house films. The pacing was off, with slow build-ups that led to lackluster payoffs. The whole movie felt like a missed opportunity to create something truly scary and unique. I was left feeling underwhelmed and wished I hadn't wasted my time and money on this film.