Philadelphia the "Underdog" City?

Philadelphia has always been a city with a colorful background. In its early days it represented religious freedom and was the country’s first capital. As time continued the city experienced many periods of decline. Philadelphia has always been an extremely hard working, blue collar rooted city. It has been home to various industries which have evolved and or declined throughout the cities existence. As New York City, and Washington D.C. grew, Philadelphia became a hub between these two cities.

May 15, 1918 First Scheduled Mail Flown from Washington D.C. to New York.
Philadelphia was a needed stop, between the two cities for the plane.

The argument of whether Philadelphia being a hub was a positive attribute can be left up for debate. In 1970, Elliot Curson’ created a billboard which said, “Philadelphia isn’t as bad as Philadelphians say it is,” (Action Philadelphia). This billboard furthered the connotation of Philadelphia being a rough, run down city. Despite various opinions, the statistics show a different Philadelphia. In 2015 The New York Times rated Philadelphia as the third best place to visit. The cities rich history, art, and diverse culture has made Philadelphia the first city in the United States to be named a World Heritage City.

Philadelphia is known for various successful areas of business, and Research. It boosts being one of the best centers of medicine in the nation. In recent days, the Philadelphia Eagles shocked the Nation by beating the New England Patriots, to win the 52nd Super Bowl. After various injuries, and a rough reputation, the Eagles where never predicted to achieve such a feat. Many of the team’s players decided to celebrate their underdog status. Following the Eagles win, thousands of fans celebrated the team for being the ultimate underdogs. The symbol of the city’s football team being an underdog, seems to also represent the cities status as being a city overlooked by many.

1933 Game- Philadelphia Eagles Vs. New York Giants

Philadelphia’s hard work and historic roots are frequently overshadowed by New York City’s and Washington D.C. lime light. Today Philadelphia has become a center to many diverse cultures, art, and industries. Millennials have flocked to the city because of its relatively cheap, diverse, and culturally blossoming aspects.

The city has become known for its vast history of social justice (regarding racism/LGBT rights), and political changes. The concept of being an underdog brings up many negative connotations as well. The media highlighted many poor choices of Eagles fans during the post victory celebration.

This directly correlates to when you type in Philadelphia on Google. 1-2 of the first media posts about Philadelphia is always related to crimes in Philadelphia. Compare this to typing in New York City, or Washington D.C. it is rare to see that many crime related posts. Do you think that Philadelphia could be considered an Underdog city? If so, what attributes do you believe make Philadelphia an underdog city? Will this status change as Philadelphia continues to grow out of surrounding metropolitan areas shadows?

100% of the SBD rewards from this #explore1918 post will support the Philadelphia History Initiative @phillyhistory. This crypto-experiment is part of a graduate course at Temple University's Center for Public History and is exploring history and empowering education to endow meaning. To learn more click here.