Recently, Philadelphia saw a troubling display of deception when unauthorized posters began appearing throughout the city. These posters falsely suggested that the Philadelphia Eagles had endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. The misleading ads, which were affixed to bus stop shelters, featured Harris in an Eagles helmet and holding a football, with the slogan “Official candidate of the Philadelphia Eagles” prominently displayed.
The Philadelphia Eagles swiftly addressed the situation, declaring these posters to be fraudulent. In a statement posted on X, the team clarified, “We are aware of counterfeit political ads being distributed and are working with our advertising partner to have them removed.” The Eagles emphasized that these advertisements were not authorized and did not reflect any official endorsement from the team.
The deceptive posters were discovered in various locations around Philadelphia and included a link to a site, philadelphiaeagles.com/vote. This website, however, contained outdated information related to past elections and voter resources, further misleading the public. NBC Philadelphia reported that they had identified at least six of these fake ads before they were taken down.
The identity of those responsible for the posters remains unknown. Intersection Media, the company managing the bus shelters, reported that the ads were a result of vandalism. An Intersection Media spokesperson explained to The Hill, “Our bus shelters are equipped with locks to prevent unauthorized access. Unfortunately, some individuals manage to bypass these security measures.” The company assured that they were working to remove the misleading ads as quickly as possible.
The Harris campaign also confirmed they had no involvement with the creation or placement of these ads, emphasizing that they did not purchase or endorse them. This incident highlights the importance of verifying the authenticity of political endorsements and being cautious of misleading information.