If You’re Looking for the Home of July 4th Sports, Welcome to Philadelphia.
When it comes to Independence Day in the United States, there is no better place to be than enjoying it in Philadelphia. After all, we are July 4th.
It’s been 248 years since our founding fathers declared the causes that urged them to sign a Declaration of their Independence and shoved off the suffocating yoke of the tyranny of King George III and the British Empire.
Fourteen years later, Philadelphia would become the capital of the United States.
If you find yourself in Philly for the July 4th Holiday, you may even feel that the entertainment is all around you (it’s actually real; the entertainment is all around you.) But our entertainment isn’t just an amazing 4th of July Fireworks display along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Wawa Welcome America 4th of July Parade, or our historic sites that can be visited year-round.
One of the Welcome America Events is the annual “Rocky Movie Night on the Art Museum Steps.” Visitors can see an outdoor screening of the original Rocky Film, run the Art Museum steps just like that iconic scene in the film, and participate in two of the 30-minute rumble boxing classes at the foot of the Art Museum steps.
This year is the 45th Anniversary of the hit sequel to the Rocky movie series. The sports drama is based on Rocky’s (Sylvester Stallone) struggles to live with fame and translate it into being an everyday family man. The film’s climax is a rematch between him and Apollo Creed. The film also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, and Carl Weathers.
The original Rocky character is loosely based on a Bayonne, New Jersey, fighter named Chuck Wepner. Wepner now has a statue in Bayonne in his honor. In March 1975, Chuck Wepner fought Mohammed Ali in Richfield Collesium in Ohio.
The fight was undecided for 15 rounds, and Wepner even knocked down Ali. But in Round 15, Ali knocked out Wepner and retained his title.
You can always take in a South Philadelphia baseball game. The NL East Best Phillies are playing the Marlins on Sunday afternoon. Although they are on the road during the July 4th Holiday (Wrigley Field), you can always enjoy the games over the July 4th weekend at one of Philly’s legendary sports bars like Xfinity Live.
Suppose you can get transportation north from the City and are concerned about the Phillies hitting while Realmuto is out of the lineup. In that case, you might have taken in the 3rd Annual Devonta Smith Charity Softball Game at Coca-Cola Field in Allentown. The game is presented by St. Luke’s.
By the time The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, Philadelphia was already a thriving metropolis. Its defiant citizens celebrated their independence with the makeshift downfalls of King George III.
Two hundred and forty-eight years later, the resilient dedication of Pennsylvanians to America and to everything Philadelphia — is a devotion that is as old as 1776.
Welcome, America. Welcome To Philadelphia. Let the games begin.
PHOTO: WikiCommons
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