The Fox crew took a bit of a detour before they covered Sunday’s NFC Championship game between the Eagles and the Commanders. With fans eagerly waiting for Fox to offer the best game coverage possible, they did something that visiting fans in Philadelphia often engage in. Let’s just say some of you might have already guessed what we are talking about. Because, as a football fan, when there’s a game in Philly, this place suddenly becomes an iconic destination for football lovers.

Yeah, we are talking about none other than the famous Rocky Balboa Statue in Philadelphia. Fox Sports Network analysts led by Michael Strahan, Terry Bradshaw, and Rob Gronkowski were captured posing in front of the Rocky Statue. They were also accompanied by Jimmy Johnson, Howie Long, Curt Menefee, and Jay Glazer. Fox took some time from their busy coverage of the NFC title game and shared their snaps on Instagram. In those series of photos, the whole Fox crew had their arms in the air, mimicking Rocky’s stance.

Then, scrolling through those snaps, Gronk, Long, Strahan, and Glazer were found flexing their stamina, running up the steps to visit the iconic Rocky Statue. And you know what? Rocky’s statue wasn’t the only iconic thing that Fox shared on its timeline. Last but not least, Gronk posed for his signature TD celebration Gronk Spike in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Only one person from the Fox crew was missing from the trip to the Rocky Statue. Tom Brady was nowhere to be seen among his seven other Fox colleagues. However, the Fox crew weren’t the only ones who visited the Rocky Balboa statue before the game.

Before they dropped a visit, the Commanders’ fans had already left a mark on the Statue. Or someone else who didn’t want the Commanders to win on Sunday. See, there is an image circulating on social media where the Rocky’s Statue was covered in Commanders’ gear. And that isn’t a good sign at all. The NFL community believes there is a curse for those who put their franchise’s gear on the statue. Now, there is a good reason why it is considered a bad omen.

When the Eagles last faced off against the Vikings in the 2017 NFC Championship game, something similar happened. This statue was covered with Vikings gear. Let’s just say what happened next could also be the fate of Commanders. Minnesota went on to lose that game 38-7. And they weren’t the only ones. Patriots in Super Bowl LII, the Giants in the 2022 divisional round, and the 49ers in the 2022 NFC Conference Championship were also treated with humiliating defeats.

So, only time will tell what will happen to the Commanders in Philadelphia. As for now, Fox’s tribute to Rocky Statue must have brought back some fond memories from the $1.8B boxing franchise. 

Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky putting Boxing screenplay on the map of Hollywood

You know, the Rocky franchise wouldn’t have gotten the success it had enjoyed over 5 decades if Stallone had gone with his initial screenplay. He wanted Rocky to have a bit of a thuggish attitude to himself. Stallone was inspired by Martin Scorsese’s crime drama Mean Streets to design his character in Rocky.

However, when he pitched that idea to a friend, he said, “I hate Rocky. He’s cruel. He hits people.” And that’s when Stallone changed his view. His friend recommended a different version of Rocky to him. This one went out of his way to avoid violence. Well, to add more spice to the story. Stallone also added a love interest for Rocky Adrian Pennino, which Talia Shire played.

They also went on to get married in Rocky 2 to offer fans something other than just fight scenes. That subplot involving Adrian and Rocky’s lovable character worked wonders for a franchise that served us 9 movies. And ended up earning $1.8B across 5 decades of dominance over American cinema.