Well, folks, it seems the Philadelphia Eagles found themselves caught in a bizarre political play this week—no touchdowns here, just a lot of confusion.
On Monday, the Eagles took to social media to address some very peculiar and fake posters that had popped up around the city, claiming the NFL team had endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Yes, you heard that right. The posters featured Harris decked out in Eagles gear, complete with a helmet and football, boldly declaring, “Kamala. The official candidate of the Philadelphia Eagles.”
lmfao https://t.co/ZltTWisygL pic.twitter.com/K1Sm4l5sZC
— Barry (@BarryOnHere) September 2, 2024
Now, if you’re thinking this sounds too wild to be true, you’re right. The Eagles quickly responded on X (formerly known as Twitter) from their official account, stating, “We are aware counterfeit political ads are being circulated and are working with our advertising partner to have them removed.”
We are aware counterfeit political ads are being circulated and are working with our advertising partner to have them removed.
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 2, 2024
And boy, did that statement take off, racking up nearly 5 million views in no time. Because, let’s be real—when a professional football team has to clarify that they’re not endorsing a presidential candidate, people are going to pay attention.
These fake posters were apparently pretty convincing, popping up at various bus shelters across Philly, including spots like 16th and Spring Garden Streets, 18th Street and JFK Boulevard, and 34th and Walnut Streets. They even included a URL—philadelphiaeagles.com/vote—which, at the time of this writing, leads to a website with outdated information about voting in the primaries. Talk about commitment to the bit!
BREAKING: A Philadelphia Eagles fan just took matters into his own hands by placing copies of the team’s statement rebuking the counterfeit Kamala Harris ads on one of the ads at a bus stop
This is absolutely GLORIOUS!
Whoever did these ads is guilty of election interference… pic.twitter.com/dTouXU73TY
— George (@BehizyTweets) September 3, 2024
The whole situation got even more curious when reports started trickling in about the posters being displayed inside enclosed cases at SEPTA bus stops. One Fox 29 News reporter noted that while the city owns the bus shelters, SEPTA hadn’t heard anything about these ads showing up on their property. Yet, there they were, raising all sorts of eyebrows.
Of course, the internet did what it does best—speculate. Some folks compared these fake Harris posters to the work of street artist Winston Tseng, who’s known for his satirical takes on political figures. Tseng has previously poked fun at both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump with cleverly branded posters. However, there’s no confirmation that Tseng had anything to do with these latest Kamala-themed posters, and the mystery artist remains just that—a mystery.
So, what’s the takeaway from all this? The Eagles aren’t diving into the political arena anytime soon, despite what some creative guerrilla marketer might want you to believe. And as for those posters? They’re being taken down as fast as they went up. But the buzz they’ve created? Well, that’s going to stick around for a while. After all, nothing says “only in 2024” like a fake NFL endorsement in the wild world of American politics.
