Why is there a snake on the 76ers court? History explains use for curious on-court logo
Snakes on a plane.
Fans tuning in to watch 76ers playoff games might notice something interesting about the design on the court: Just inside the 3-point arc on both sides of the floor is an image of a dismembered snake, leading some to question just why exactly the reptilian invader exists on the court.
The 76ers have had several logos through the years, including imagery of the snake being used in their Liberty Bell logo now, which was introduced in 2018 in preparation for the team’s playoff run.
In order to understand why there’s a snake, you have to open up the history books. Here’s why:
Why is there a snake on the 76ers court?
Playing off of a famous political cartoon drawn by Benjamin Franklin, the snake is the imagery of “Join, or Die,” a rallying cry to pre-independence United States.
The 76ers adopted the image as homage to Philadelphia in 2018 during the team’s playoff run as part of the “Phila Unite” marketing campaign. The “City of Brotherly Love,” as it were, is also obviously the birthplace of American Independence.
The snake was integrated into the team’s liberty bell logo, and obviously, the pro-America imagery is used throughout the Sixers’ identity, from team name to logos to on-court imagery.
Drawn in 1754, the snake is segmented into eight separate pieces, representing South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and New England.
At the time, Delaware was part of Pennsylvania, while there were four colonies represented in the single New England segment. Georgia, one of the original 13 colonies, was curiously omitted. The idea behind it was the colonies would be better suited as a Union if they would simply come together.
The general public knows better now, but the urban legend persists that snakes were able to re-join together if separated as indicated in the cartoon.
The rest, as they say, is history — both literally and figuratively.