Philadelphia prepares for Super Bowl fever

The city of Philadelphia is decked out in black and green, and city officials are busy working to prepare for this Sunday's Super Bowl.

A pep rally will also take place today in Philadelphia at Thomas Paine Plaza, north of City Hall.

"At 11:00 a.m., fans are asked to begin gathering for the pep rally, where Mayor Street will proclaim 'six ways you can show your love for the Eagles,'" according to a city press release. In addition to Street's appearance, the pep rally will feature games and entertainment.

A city official who spoke on condition of anonymity discussed possible plans for a victory parade on Tuesday morning. The official emphasized that one of the key preparations was "not talking to the press about a Superbowl parade."

"If you start talking about the inevitability of a win, you're setting yourself up for a loss," the official said. "If we start talking about what we're going to do when we win, it presents somewhat of a competitive edge for the other team."

"I guess you could call it superstition," the official added. "But it's probably prudent game preparation to disregard the victory preparation until the game takes place."

Philadelphia residents have already had many opportunities to witness Eagles pride through the work of those in City Hall. In addition to the green lights which now dominate the city skyline, there are several banners throughout the city.

"The One Parkway building -- which houses many city offices -- has bunting around the entire building with Eagles colors," he said. In addition, Love Park features a 'Philly loves the Eagles' banner, as well as green lights, which match those now illuminating City Hall tower.

Superstition has not prevented Penn and Philadelphia police from beginning to plan for any possible celebratory unrest on Sunday night.

"I'm bringing in more personnel to put them in areas where people congregate, just to be very visible," Penn Chief of Police Mark Dorsey said.

The department is "working with the Philadelphia Police Department, who are going to have a team of officers assigned to our area," Dorsey added.

Though the Philadelphia Police Department declined to comment, Dorsey explained some of the city's preparations.

"On the citywide basis, there are emergency response teams that are going to be situated in every division," Dorsey said. At Penn and in Center City, the preparations are similar to those for the last playoff game, when large crowds gathered outside bars after the Eagles' victory.

"We hope that everybody enjoys the game and that the Eagles win, but that we do things in a manner that are respectful," Dorsey said.

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