There’s a void in Philadelphia.

It’s not baseball free agency. That’s a different void.

This void is a black nothingness, a Nietzsche-like abyss that returns your stare. It’s the first Friday in February, which used to be reserved for Sports Radio 94 WIP’s Wing Bowl.

The long-running and sometimes lecherous chicken eating contest is no more, put to rest by WIP in October. The whole point of the Al Morganti creation was to give Eagles fans something to look forward to, since the Birds weren’t anywhere close to winning the Super Bowl back in the day. With that demon finally exorcised, there really wasn’t any reason to continue the event after 26 years.

Problem is, Wing Bowl was a cash cow. It raised a ton of money for local strip clubs, who would pull in tens of thousands of dollars on that Friday. I specifically remember going to Delilah’s a few years ago, then getting in a limousine with some guy named “Vladimir,” who took us to Tony Luke’s, where another member of our entourage ate a bad calzone and ended up ralphing later in the day.

The strip clubs, and other sponsors, weren’t totally happy with the decision to end the Wing Bowl, but this tradition, which is unlike any other, is not totally dead. Instead we’ve got diverging paths leading to new sources of revenue.

The Wing Bowl’s demise leaves us with two separate Friday events.

One is called “Wing Pole,” which is basically a Cheerleaders and Club Risque attempt to reprise the after party model of years past.

The inaugural version of the event begins at 7 a.m. and advertises the following:

  • breakfast buffet
  • music by cover band LeCompt
  • stripper olympics
  • wing eating contest
  • adult feature live performance
  • Wingette of the year

It’s basically the Wing Bowl, but at Cheerleaders.

Description:

It ain’t over until we say it’s over! Make your plans now for one of Philly’s biggest events of the year. This will be a sold out event so don’t wait. Featuring the city’s most gorgeous entertainers, everyone’s favorite bartenders, LeCompt (Philly’s favorite cover band), and tons of surprises you won’t want to miss it’s WING POLE 2019, A LEGGS & EGGS EVENT.

Club Risque is also hosting the event, and there’s a ticket that actually gets you access to both clubs. WIP’s Big Daddy Graham will be running the show.

If that sounds strange, WIP’s continued involvement, then here’s your explanation, via Rob Tornoe at Philly.com:

“[Wing Bowl] was one of our busiest days… and for our entertainers, it was their biggest money-making day of the year,” said Ryann O’Donnell, the director of marketing and promotions for Cheerleaders. “We met with WIP, and they were very apologetic it was ending … so we talked to them about if they would mind if we continued on, and they were very supportive.”

The clubs are also turning to WIP for two guest judges — longtime overnight host Big Daddy Graham at Club Risque, and his daughter Ava (who currently works with Cataldi on the station’s morning show) at Cheerleaders.

That’s interesting to me. Nice gesture by WIP though.

No stripper left behind, right?

The other event is the Philadelphia Cornhole League, which is apparently a thing, teaming up with 97.5 the Fanatic for “Farzetta and Tra’s Super Hole Weekend,”.

Here’s the description:

Marc and Tra are kicking off Super Bowl weekend early… play hooky on Friday, February 1 and join Farzetta and Tra in the Morning as they team up with the Philadelphia Cornhole League to host the inaugural “Super Hole Weekend” and tailgate party.  The event will take place at The Met Philadelphia.

Listeners and fans are invited to be a part of a Super tailgate that includes games, prizes, the crowning of Philadelphia’s Biggest Sports Fanatic trivia contest and so much more.

Delilah’s, which had previously hosted the Wing Bowl after party, is a “Super Hole” sponsor. Others are Burns Honda, Toni Roni’s, Philly Pretzel Factory, Linfield National Golf Club, Harrah’s Philadelphia, La Scala Restaurant Group, and Royal Billiard Recreation. This thing runs from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

So anyway, if you really enjoyed the debauchery part of the Wing Bowl, which is the strip club routine, you’re still good. You can roll into Cheerleaders or Club Risque on Friday. And WIP’s loss is the Fanatic’s gain, as they’ve stepped in to create an event with the idea of pulling in some of the flailing and rudderless people who feel an emptiness in the post-Wing Bowl world we’re now living in.

More than anything, the strip clubs made a ton of money from Wing Bowl, money that went a long way towards their annual revenue, both the businesses themselves and the women who work there.

I’m intrigued to see how all three of these events do, and whether there’s still a market for Wing Bowl type of stuff or if Philly has moved beyond it.