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Empire State Building will again show Eagles colors, repeating 'terrible insult' to New Yorkers

By

Jake Offenhartz

Published Feb 12, 2023

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The Empire State building is illuminated in green and white.

 

Empire State Building / Twitter

By

Jake Offenhartz

Published Feb 12, 2023

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The Empire State Building staff heard the complaints of New York football fans – and disregarded them.

Two weeks after drawing widespread outrage for changing its lights to honor the Philadelphia Eagles – the arch-rival of the hometown Giants – the treacherous tower is once again threatening a green-and-white takeover.

In a tweet, the building’s stewards said the spire would be lit Sunday evening in honor of the winner of the Super Bowl contest between the Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The announcement prompted a fresh round of outcry from New Yorkers and local officials. In a letter delivered hours before kick-off, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and City Councilmember Keith Powers urged the head of Empire State Realty Trust, Anthony Malkin, to reconsider.

“Like many New Yorkers, we were dismayed in late January to see the Empire State Building lit up to honor the Philadelphia Eagles,” the officials wrote. “We have heard that this unfortunate incident is set to be repeated tonight as the Philadelphia Eagles play in Super Bowl LVII.”

The letter continued, “While we recognize the global image of the Empire State Building, it is undeniable that New Yorkers deserve better than our most famous building joining in the celebration of our rivals.”

The earlier decision to light the city’s most famous building green in honor of the Eagles’ NFC Championship victory drew near universal condemnation, including scathing responses from Gov. Kathy Hochul and Giants legend Michael Strahan.

At the time, the building appeared to acknowledge its error, writing on Twitter that the incident “hurt us more than it hurt you.” Inquiries to building management on Sunday about the apparent reversal were not returned.

According to a press release, the building staff planned to display the colors of both the Eagles and the Chiefs in the lead up to the game. When one side scores, the lights will sparkle in that team’s colors for one minute. Once the game ends, the winner will take full control of the tower until 2 a.m.

Powers, who represents the area in Manhattan around the Empire State Building, described the move as a betrayal to the city.

“They seem to be doubling down on a very poor decision,” he said. “It would be a terrible insult to every New Yorker, particularly Giants fans like myself, to have the Eagles colors emblazoned on the Empire State Building.”

Tagged

museums

new york city

manhattan

Jake Offenhartz

Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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