The Rocky franchise is one that captured the hearts of everyone when it started in 1977. The film(like Rocky himself) was an underdog for lack of a better term. It was Sylvester Stallone’s vision which he was determined to carry out in it’s entirety. He wrote it and portrayed the main character despite many around him telling him not to as they thought he would fail.
The fact that he also wasn’t gifted with the best budget for a project so big wad also a concern. But against the odds, he did it. The movie was amazingly successful to the point where Rocky Balboa is now such an icon, he might as well be real.
In Philadelphia PA where the movie was shot and Stallone’s home town, there stands a tall bronze statue of Rocky Balboa. His moral of not needing to win but just never giving up no matter how brutal the pain may be spoke to so many people. The statue of Rocky is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the city. People come to see the statue of a man who’s humbleness and will were so inspiring that his story is still one of the most beloved stories after 44 years and he’s not even real. He gets more recognition than many real fighters who accomplished amazing feats in the sport and he’s a work of fiction. This truly displays that reality is relative when it comes to inspiration and on a personal level, I find that truly fantastic.