PECO Won't Run Eagles Crown Light Messages Hoping Not To 'Jinx' Team
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Whether it's wearing a certain shirt or sitting in a particular seat during a big game, some of us tend to get a little superstitious when our sports teams are playing.
PECO is no exception.
If you're expecting to see "Go Eagles" scroll on PECO's iconic Crown Lights above their headquarters in Center City, that won't be happening.
"We started to recognize there's a pattern that when we run messages in advance of the game, the outcomes aren't what we want," explains PECO's Doug Oliver. "But when we don't run the messages in advance, we find that our teams win."
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Look no further than the 2005 Eagles Super Bowl. PECO used Crown Lights ahead of that game and the birds came up short.
On the other hand, in 2016 PECO did not use Crown Lights leading up to the Villanova Wildcat's NCAA Championship game. They ended up winning it all.
"In 2008, when our home team Philadelphia Phillies were in the World Series, we didn't run the message and they won," adds Oliver. "So the next year, in '09 we did run the message and they lost."
So PECO made a major decision with the Eagles' biggest game in years on the horizon.
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"Evidence-based decision making requires us not to run the Eagles' messaging before the game," Oliver says.
But they won't be abandoning the team altogether. Oliver says the Crown Lights will still be green, there will be an eagle flying across, plus "some surprises to encourage the city to rally around the team."
There just won't be any specific Philadelphia Eagles mentions.
"We will choose to not jinx our home team," Oliver says.
