By Alex Trickett BBC Sport Online

The teams:

Baseball: Phillies
American Football: Eagles
Basketball: 76ers
Ice Hockey: Flyers

Famous for fictional boxing son Rocky Balboa, Philadelphia also boasts real-life icons in all four major sports.

But its teams have fallen just short of collective success in recent years.

Stallone: The man behind Rocky Balboa

The Phillies have not won baseball's World Series since the golden era of Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and bad-boy Pete Rose.

The much-improved Eagles have not improved quite enough to reach the Super Bowl and the 76ers fell at the final NBA hurdle last year despite wonderful performances from free-scoring Allen Iverson.

In ice hockey, Eric Lindros' Flyers made the Stanley Cup finals in 1997, only to be whitewashed by the Detroit Red Wings

Carlton: One of the finest ever pitchers

On its first day in 1971, the ceremonial first pitch was dropped from a helicopter to Phillies catcher Mike Ryan, who bobbled the ball but managed to hold on.

His juggling act paved the way for the more conventional skills of batters Rose and Schmidt and pitching sensation Carlton.

That trio guided Philadelphia to their only World Series win - against the Kansas City Chiefs - and built up strong expectations among Phillies fans.

The current crop shows promise, but finished runners-up to Atlanta in the National League East, thereby failing to deliver post-season play in 2001.

Doctor calls: Erving dunks over Abdul-Jabar

Seven-foot tall Chamberlain was a towering presence in the game, carrying as much influence in the 1960s as Michael Jordan had in the 1990s.

That he won only two NBA titles is a testament to Boston Celtics rival Bill Russell, but for scoring prowess Wilt "The Stilt" had no equal.

On one incredible night in 1962, he notched 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors - now of Golden State - in their 169-147 destruction of New York.

Erving - or Dr J as he was known - was no less of a star.

An athletic forward, he remained faithful to the all-black ABA until it was integrated into the NBA in 1976, and went on to dazzle a nation with his fantastic array of slam-dunks.

McNabb came of age against the Giants

A controversial number two pick in the 1999 NFL draft, McNabb is starting to repay the faith shown in him, passing for more than 3,000 yards in each of his first two full seasons.

Critics have knocked him for making bad decisions at key times.

But many think he came of age on 30 December, when he threw a clutch 18-yard touchdown pass with 1:52 left in the game to hand Philadelphia their first victory over the New York Giants in 10 attempts.