Philadelphia (CBS) – When the Eagles host the New England Patriots late Sunday afternoon, they’ll be part of something as American as apple pie, and we’re not talking football, but Lincoln.

Lincoln Life Insurance Company, whose somewhat changed name adorns Lincoln Financial Field, was started in Indiana, not the land of Lincoln.

Yet Jackie Hogan, author of Lincoln, Inc.: Selling the Sixteenth President in Contemporary America, says it’s hardly alone in trying to channel a cherished image.

“You know, his top hat, his beard. He’s instantly recognizable in the way that Mickey Mouse or the Golden arches are and, even better, he stands for All-American values, the American Dream, honesty, integrity, compassion, all of these things that are very near and dear to Americans.”

But Hogan says “Lincoln-ness” can be like the proverbial blind men each describing part of an elephant. Companies, products and even political candidates and ideas use the parts of Lincoln’s legacy that suits them and forget about the rest.

Reported By John Ostapkovich, KYW Newsradio