Soul Break Philly's Curse?

The Soul competed in (and won) their first ever ArenaBowl yesterday.  In an exciting game, the Soul outlasted the San Jose SaberCats 59-56.  Soul quarterback Matt D'Orazio played superbly, connecting on seven touchdown passes.  Soul wide recevier Chris Jackson was excellent.  To read a full game report, click here.

I'll have to admit that I am not a big Arena Football fan.  Yesterdays game was pretty exciting, though.  It looked as if the Soul had already won it late in the fourth quarter, but a recovered onside kick and an eventual touchdown plus the two-point conversion kept the SaberCats in the game.

I don't think the Arena Football League will ever be a major player in this nation's sports scene.  But I do think Arena Football is fun to watch.  There are so many touchdowns and turnovers.  Guys getting hit into the wall along the sidelines is fun to watch too.

With the Soul's win, most Philly sports fans are now pondering one question: Does this break Philadelphia's championship's curse?  If you are not familiar with the curse, it's called the Curse of William Penn.  At one point (in 1987) City Hall (above), with William Penn's figure atop it, was the tallest building in Philadelphia.  But since the first Liberty Place was built higher than City Hall, none of the Big Four (Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers) have won a championship.

The Soul's championship does not break the curse.  They did win the first football championship in this city since the Eagles won the NFL Championship in 1960.  I can't consider the the Soul a major team in Philly.  I am happy that the Soul won, but the curse will continue.