The Curse of Billy Penn

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• published: 07 Jun 2013
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Drexel University English 103 Composition # 2 Project Script: Welcome to our presentation on the Curse of William Penn; more commonly known as the Curse of Billy Penn. I'm Dan Shields. And I am Daniel Diazdelcastillo. Sports are a massive part of popular culture in Philadelphia. This working-class blue-collar town has been lauded time and again for its passionate sports fans. Throughout the 1980s, the four major sports teams in Philadelphia were enjoying success year in and year out. [The flyers win the Stanley cup] These teams were the Flyers in hockey, Eagles in football, Seventy-Sixers in basketball, and Phillies in baseball. It was seen as a sort of golden age for sports in Philadelphia. With championships in at least one of the sports in the years 1974, 1975, 1980, and 1985, the teams all enjoyed success in both the regular season and in the playoffs. In 1980, all four teams reached their consecutive championship rounds, but the Phillies would be the only eventual winners. [McGraw throwing last pitch] Eventually, however, the golden age would come to an abrupt halt. [Phillies fan taking hat off] After the opening of One Liberty Place in Philadelphia in March of 1987, the four teams began to experience painful losses in the playoffs. [Picture of One Liberty Place] Despite appearing in the playoffs in each sport several times, the teams seemed to hit a brick wall since after the opening of the new skyscraper. After One Liberty Place opened, Philadelphia's franchises began a pattern of failures to win a world championship. The Flyers lost the Stanley Cup Finals in 1987 to the Edmonton Oilers. The Phillies lost the 1993 World Series in six games to the Toronto Blue Jays on a walkoff homerun in game 6. The Flyers returned to the Stanley Cup finals in 1997, only to lose to the Detroit Red Wings. The 76ers lost the 2001 NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games after a heated series including career games from Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant. The Eagles lost three straight NFC Championship games from the 2001 through 2003 seasons. They reached Super Bowl 39 after the 2004 season, only to lose to the New England Patriots by three points. [Pictures of disheartened Flyers, Phillies, Sixers, and Eagles] Strangely enough, the only years that Philadelphia's franchises reached their league's championship round after One Liberty Place opened were years that presidents were inaugurated, except for the Flyers in 1987, and losses during such years date back to the 76ers loss in 1977. The reason for the city's fruitless efforts in each sport were soon attributed to the broken gentlemen's agreement that was established when the city was first being settled. The agreement stated that the statue of William Penn, the city's founder, which stood atop City Hall, would be the tallest man-made structure in the city. When One Liberty Place opened in 1987, it stood 945 feet; a full 397 feet taller than the statue. The opening of One Liberty Place effectively voided and ended the gentlemen's agreement established during the city's inception. In what seemed to further insult the agreement, Two Liberty Place was opened in 1990, soaring at 848 ft. In 2007, ironworkers from Local Union 401 helped raise the final beam in the construction of the Comcast Center at 17th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard in downtown Philadelphia. Standing 975 ft, the Comcast Center is currently the tallest building in the city. In an attempt to end the curse, the workers attached a small figurine of William Penn to the beam, along with the traditional American flag and small evergreen tree. The following baseball season, the Phillies would win the National League East and advance to the playoffs. After winning the National League Division Series in 4 four games against the Milwaukee Brewers, The Phillies advanced to the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers. After 5 games, the Phillies took the series 4 to 1. After winning the National League pennant, the Phillies moved on to the 2008 World Series to effectively break the curse. After 5 well-fought games, the Phillies won the World Series 4-1. In a sigh of relief, the city turned out two million fans to the Phillies' celebration parade. After years of torture and torment, the city celebrated. Famously, Harry Kalas read out the final pitch on the radio.