New Yorkers were heated Sunday night after the Empire State lit up in the Philadelphia Eagles’ colors.
On Sunday, after the Eagles won the NFC title and secured their spot for Super Bowl LVII, the building was illuminated in green and white colors in their honor.
However, the illumination was quickly met with backlash, with some even calling the display of symbolic solidarity “treason.”
“As the representative for the Empire State Building and a diehard Giants fan, let me be on the record saying that this is absolutely ridiculous,” said New York City Councilman Keith Powers.
If you didn’t know, the Giants and Eagles have a longstanding rivalry that started in 1933 when the Giants and Eagles faced off in a game, with New York dominating with a 56-0 victory.
Since then, the rivalry has only become more heated; and last week, the Eagles knocked the Giants from the playoffs.
One user tweeted at Mayor Eric Adams and said, “New Yorkers will not stand for this.”
“For anyone who finds this as treacherous, traitorous, and unforgivable as we do – just pretend it’s green and white for #NewYorksStrongest,” tweeted the Department of Sanitation. “We take out the trash every day…and next year, that’ll include the Eagles.”
The social media team of the iconic New York building wasn’t blind to the backlash.
Later Sunday, as they displayed yet another set of colors at the top of this skyscraper, this time red and white for the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs, the account tweeted, “That hurt us more than it hurt you.”
