Why do people in Philly wreck things after a Super Bowl win?

Why do people act the way they do after a major sports victory? Earlier this week, my first-year seminar on the intersection of biology and health at the University of Pennsylvania tackled that question head-on. After the Eagles’ NFC championship win, and again after the Super Bowl, Philly was electric — streets flooded with fans climbing poles, setting fires, and, in some cases, destroying property. But why? What drives this kind of behavior, especially during a time of celebration?

With the help of brilliant Penn undergraduates and my doctoral candidate teaching assistant, we broke it down — the biology, the psychology, and the social factors that fuel these moments.

One of the biggest takeaways was the role of group dynamics. The larger the crowd, the less personal responsibility people feel. It’s called deindividuation — when people lose their sense of self in a group, they’re more likely to act out. And many of the people destroying property? Not even from Philly. They came in, wilded out, and left because A) They assumed the people here didn’t care, so why should they? and B) They weren’t the ones who had to deal with the mess afterward.

Then there’s the bystander effect — the idea that when a ton of people are breaking the rules, it’s easy to think, “Well, no one’s gonna come after me.” The bigger the crowd, the smaller the consequences feel.

Society is built on rules — don’t touch, don’t climb, don’t scream, don’t break stuff. But when the Eagles win the Super Bowl? That all goes out the window. For some, it’s a release — a moment to do something they’d never do otherwise. Swing from a streetlight? Jump on a moving car? Why not?

What’s wild is that some of this “chaos” was actually welcomed. Like a guy my students saw whose car was swarmed — instead of getting mad, he leaned into it, honking his horn to the DJ’s beat. It raises a question: Where’s the line between collective joy and straight-up destruction?

Now, let’s talk about social media and expectations. Leading up to the Super Bowl, the internet was full of takes like, “Philly fans will burn the city to the ground whether they win or lose.” That kind of messaging? It plants a seed. It’s almost like people felt obligated to make it happen — like the city had already been cast in a role it had to play.

And then there’s the psychology of “Don’t do it” messaging. If you tell people not to push the red button, what’s the first thing they want to do? Push it.

Beyond the madness, we recognized something powerful: sports are the ultimate equalizer — sort of. During that moment, race, religion, money, and politics didn’t matter — just Philly, just the Eagles. People who might not even acknowledge each other on a normal day were hugging, singing, celebrating together.

The mayor talks about “One Philly United,” and we discussed: If sports can bring us together for one night, why can’t we hold onto that? How do we channel this energy into something constructive instead of destructive?

What if we took that energy and used it to build something — not just tear things down? Imagine what could happen if the same passion people put into flipping cars was put into flipping neighborhoods — making them safer, healthier, cleaner, and more connected.

But not everyone got to celebrate freely. Some born and raised in Philly didn’t go at all. Why? Because they weren’t sure how they’d get home with streets blocked. Or how the inebriated would have liquid courage and do and say the unthinkable.

Others stayed away because they’ve seen how quickly these moments can turn dangerous. Some felt uneasy seeing riot police and mounted horses, triggering memories of protests, where similar tactics were used on peaceful demonstrators. Who gets to celebrate without fear? Who gets the benefit of the doubt in moments of public disruption?

And then, of course, there were the bandwagon fans. The same people who trash Philly 364 days a year suddenly threw on Eagles gear and pretended to be lifelong fans. Real or fake? Who knows. But for one night, they wanted in.

At the end of the day, this was energy release, plain and simple. Whether it’s screaming, running, crying — this is how the body processes extreme emotion. And in a moment this big, some people just needed to let it out.

So, why do people push, shove, climb, and destroy after a win? The answer lies at the intersection of biology, psychology, and culture. It’s a mix of group psychology, temporary rule-breaking, social messaging, and emotional release.

But the bigger question remains: How can we take the best parts of these moments — unity, joy, shared identity — and extend them beyond sports?

Our BIOL1821 class at Penn may not have all the answers, but today, we got a little closer to understanding what makes Philadelphia one of the most passionate cities in the world.

Ala Stanford is a pediatric surgeon, Penn professor, bestselling author of “Take Care of Them Like My Own: Faith, Fortitude, and a Surgeon’s Fight for Health Justice,” former presidential appointee, and founder of Black Doctors Consortium. Doctoral candidate Terrence Topping-Brown and the students of BIOL1821 also contributed to this piece.