The gray stone steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 72 to be exact, lead up to the iconic “Rocky Statue”. The fictional Rocky Balboa character played by Sylvester Stallone in the eponymous film is bronzed in his signature two-fisted victory pose. Tourists reenact the famous scene where Rocky, looking for his comeback, winds up the stairs, bloodshot eyes and the eternal sports anthem, Tiger’s survivor’s voice playing in the background.
But sports fans are wary of visiting the site; They are careful not to put jerseys or flags on him. The Rocky Curse has created fear in their hearts. It is believed that if fans pull their team’s jersey or wrap it in a flag, they will always lose. Brazil fans could be heard asking each other in exasperation at the food court in the stadium and near the center market.Aside from their festivities: “Did you put a jersey or a flag on Rocky?” A negative nod, accompanied by a shudder, brings immediate relief and a tight hug.
For the 1982 film “Rocky III”, sculptor A. Created by Thomas Schomberg as a premise: it has become embedded in Philadelphia culture and stands as a metaphor for the film’s lasting cultural impact. Stallone himself donated the statue to the museum at the end of the decade.
Good luck getting to safety past Jersey 😂 pic.twitter.com/Vd55Zom30u
— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) 18 June 2026
The origin of the curse
The origins of the curse are unknown but recent, but it began with NFL side the New England Patriots putting Rocky in a Tom Brady shirt and losing to the Eagles in the Super Bowl. Five years later, the San Francisco 49ers kitted him out before the NFC Championship, which they lost 31-7. The Washington Commanders suffered a similar fate against the Eagles last year, and a jinx was born. Players, support staff and fans therefore carefully avoid placing flags or kits on him. There is a rumor that a Washington fan tried to reverse the jinx by placing an Eagles jersey on the statue. It doesn’t work — even curses have a conscience.
It’s become such an urban legend that Philadelphia Tourism warned fans in an Instagram post: “As good hosts, we’d like to share some information about a well-documented incident in Philly: The Rocky Statue Curse. We’re sorry this conversation wasn’t shared last weekend,” but we read it here.
“Numerous football teams (like, American football, not football — same curse, different sport) all dressed up in their colors and lost the Rocky statue. Ecuador dressed Rocky last weekend. Coincidence? Unfortunately, history says no. Philadelphia can’t wait to host you!” (But Rocky needs no explaining.)
Unaware of the curse, Ecuadorian fan Guigio Benavides, a Rocky fan, sewed the shirt himself, printed Rocky’s name on the back, and traveled 3,000 miles from his hometown for his country’s game against Ecuador last week. He measured the mannequin through pictures online to make sure the shirt would fit. Above Rocky’s name, he wrote: “Dream, pass and make history.: “Rocky is an example of discipline and persistence. He was always facing people who had more, but he never gave up. We needed that spirit,” he told a newspaper back home before the trip.
Brazilians and other soccer fans climb the steps leading to a statue of Rocky marked with the FIFA World Cup logo, before Friday’s FIFA World Cup Group C match between Brazil and Haiti, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Philadelphia. (Jose F. Moreno/Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)/Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
The day before the game, he arrived in Philadelphia, visited his temple and, with the help of fellow fans, squeezed the jersey onto his muscular frame. He arrived at the hotel and to his shock, his inbox was flooded with hate messages. But he thought: “Maybe Ecuador can break Rocky’s curse and free the city.” Ivory Coast added to the Rocky Curse by breaking his heart with a goal in the 90th minute. “I cried so much that people from Brazil and Boston hugged me,” he said.
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Benavides’ misfortune served as a foreboding for Brazil fans who painted the city yellow. Alex, who hails from Sao Paulo, says, “We didn’t know that and we would have done the same. We also got him a double XL jersey. Thankfully, someone in the fan group shared his video and we were careful not to put anything related to Brazil on his statue.”
Haiti fans were also wary, although their chances of surprising Brazil were negligible. Joseph Ihiogene, from Miami, a state with a large Brazilian population, was also informed of the curse before boarding the flight. “I wasn’t planning on it anyway, but I can tell others. I don’t believe in curses, but I don’t want to take any chances,” he said.
Coincidence or curse, fans don’t want to incur Rocky’s wrath.