You may have noticed the Super Bowl 50 statues popping up all over the Bay Area, and if so, you aren't the only one. The graphic statues (each wrought in the shape of a 50 and possessing a unique theme) have drawn the attention of vandals. NBC Bay Area is reporting that two of the four installed 50s have been damaged; one by graffiti, one had its solar panels ripped off. Eventually, there will be a total of 10 statues erected, but so far, they've appeared in Alamo Square, City Hall, the Palace of Fine Arts, and the San Jose Municipal Airport.
Around The Town 50s making an appearance at @FlySJC Terminal B #SB50 pic.twitter.com/VYyqAGRVT1
— Super Bowl 50 (@superbowl50) January 17, 2016
Hoodline reports that the statues have been covered with an anti-graffiti coating, but that didn't stop taggers from having a go at defacing the 50 in Alamo Square. The designer of the pieces told Hoodline that, after the paint was cleaned off, "It has a few scratches, but it is basically fine." The 50 in front of City Hall had its solar panels removed (each 1,600-pound statue lights up at night).
Judging from the images posted on Twitter, the statues are fast becoming a tourist attraction, and we quickly lost count of the number of selfies snapped in front of them.
I spy with my little eye something that looks officiating... pic.twitter.com/zVlxgZEEza
— Super Bowl 50 (@superbowl50) January 14, 2016
News of the vandalism is the latest in sobering reports about the projected traffic during the event. SF Chief of Protocol and Super Bowl 50 Advisory Group member Charlotte Shultz told a San Francisco Chronicle reporter, "It's going to be crowded. There is going to be traffic, and there are going to be streets closed. We're a city that knows how to either take that in stride or complain about it."
· Super Bowl 50 Statues Vandalized in San Francisco [NBC Bay Area]
· New Super Bowl '50' Statue Facing Painted Ladies Has Already Been Vandalized [Hoodline]
· What Is Super Bowl Traffic in the City Really Going to Be Like? [Curbed SF]
· Super Bowl Week Coming; It's Time to Brace for Hassle, Hordes [SFGate]