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Philadelphia Museum of Art channels their Eagles pride with giant banner

The art museum raised a "Go Eagles" banner and sang the fight song.

Philadelphia Museum of Art staffers and friends, chant “Fly Eagles Fly!” as they posed for pictures during the unveiling of an Eagles banner on the East Facade of the museum in Philadelphia. Tuesday, January 30, 2018.
Philadelphia Museum of Art staffers and friends, chant “Fly Eagles Fly!” as they posed for pictures during the unveiling of an Eagles banner on the East Facade of the museum in Philadelphia. Tuesday, January 30, 2018.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

The snow didn't dampen any spirits on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Tuesday morning, when the museum staff raised a "Go Eagles" banner between its iconic columns, a space usually reserved for promoting their newest exhibits.

Those steps were made famous by another Philadelphia underdog: Rocky.

Decked out in beanies, Eagles jerseys, and T-shirts, the staff members cheered, clapped, and sang the Eagles fight song.

"I can tell you that our staff has rarely looked so good," Timothy Rub, director and CEO of the Art Museum, said. "This isn't just about the Eagles vs. the Patriots. It's also about Philadelphia vs. Boston."

In fact, the museum has challenged Boston's Museum of Fine Arts to a cheeky "Museum Bowl" on Twitter. At 3 p.m. Friday, both museums will tweet art-inspired trash talk at each other, including famous artworks Photoshopped to feature Eagles gear. The winner of the first Museum Bowl will get to borrow a piece of artwork from the losing museum. Rub said he already has a few artworks in mind.

"Like the rest of the city, we're excited that Philly is going back to the Super Bowl," Rub, who donned a Carson Wentz jersey for the occasion, said. "We wanted to come out and show our support for one of our hometown teams. It's been a great season for them, and we want to show how much we care about them and Philadelphia."

Even though there are a lot of staffers from other parts of the country working at the Art Museum, Rub said many of them have converted to Eagles fans.

"It's been a while since the Phillies have been to the World Series as well," he said. "When the 76ers make it to the NBA finals, we'll be there to support our home teams."