Meatball’s “Free Meatball” Mugshot Shirts Vanish

A $35 “Free Meatball” t-shirt showing the mugshot of Meatball aka Dayjia Blackwell. Police arrested her for looting in Philadelphia last week. (photo via @dayjiamainpage)

Meatball’s “Free Meatball” Mugshot Shirts Have Disappeared from Her Website

Ah, Meatball. Two weeks ago, your average person from Philadelphia enjoyed thinking of, well, you know, meatballs when somebody said the word. Most of them were blissfully unaware of Meatball the “influencer.” But since that Meatball was arrested in last week’s looting incidents, her image will forever be etched in our brains.

Speaking of Meatball’s image, within 24 hours after I predicted that Meatball would start selling shirts bearing her mugshot, she did just that. And as recently as Monday, she had $35 “Free Meatball” shirts for sale on her website. (She also sells beanies bearing her “Aint Nuffin” brand name.) The shirts included her memorable seen-around-the-world mugshot as well as the slogan “Free Meatball.”

But now, there are no more Free Meatball mugshot shirts to be found on her site. They’re no longer displayed in her sprawling gallery of apparel and fashion accessories. And the specific link to the page for the shirt itself — we ran the link on Monday — now gives you a “page not found” error.

So why isn’t Meatball selling the Free Meatball mugshot shirts on her website? I asked her and her attorney for more information, but neither replied to a request for comment.

The smart money, though, is on the possibility that somebody convinced her that selling these shirts wasn’t going to go over so well with the office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. It appears that the shirts vanished from her site soon after Krasner suggested that he may walk back (or even dismiss) charges against some of those involved in the looting, depending on individual circumstances. Earning money off of your mugshot and essentially making a mockery of the whole process probably wouldn’t get you a checkmark in the leniency box. Though this is Larry Krasner we’re talking about. So who knows?

But if you do want to buy a Free Meatball mugshot shirt — and, I mean, really, who wouldn’t want such a thing? — I do have some good news for you. There are now a bunch of websites selling shirts similar to those Meatball was selling. It appears other companies are capitalizing on her mugshot and newfound fame. Indeed, it takes about three minutes to set up an online store selling pretty much any kind of t-shirt you want. You just type in “Free Meatball” and upload her mugshot. And voila.

I asked Meatball’s attorney if she had any concerns about these other businesses using her client’s name (well, influencer name) and image. But she didn’t respond to that question either.

Meanwhile, I guess we’ll just have to wait anxiously for Meatball’s preliminary hearing, scheduled for October 17th. Will an army of Free Meatball fans show up? Would she want them to?

Philly Police Crack Down on ATVs and Dirt Bikes

If-it-bleeds-it-leads Fox 29 reporter Steve Keeley has been beside himself with glee late this week, following around the squad of cops that has been confiscating illegal ATVs and dirt bikes left and right.

Police have reportedly even employed a helicopter in their pursuit of orderly streets. The helicopter flies around to find such vehicles with its birds-eye view and then dispatches teams of cops to haul them away.

All of this following last Sunday’s bonkers Center City incident that resulted in the arrest of wild biker Cody Heron. One thing’s for sure: interim Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Stanford is not messing around. Let the bikers beware.

And the Most Popular Gas Station in the Keystone State Is …

Can you guess? Can you guess? Hint: It isn’t the most popular gas station in any other state in the nation — a distinction shared only with the most popular fill-up spot in Illinois.

He’s One of Us!

On the Olympics front, the Sixers’ Joel Embiid, who faced the tantalizing decision of whether to compete with the team from Cameroon, the team from France or the team from, well, here has finally made up his mind.

I’m really proud and excited about this decision. It was not easy. I am blessed to call Cameroon, France, and the USA home. After talking to my family, I knew it had to be Team USA. I want to play with my brothers in the league. I want to play for my fans because they’ve… pic.twitter.com/6VHSQTKVl3

— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) October 5, 2023

By the Numbers

10,000: The average increase in Phillies home-game attendance this season — the biggest jump of any team in Major League Baseball.

$185: How much more the cheapest Phillies Wild Card playoff ticket to Wednesday night’s game cost than one to the Blue Jays-Twins game that same night. Which is as it should be.

https://twitter.com/RochesRWinners/status/1709656603052433488

34th: Where Wallethub ranked Philly on its list of America’s best foodie cities. Which proves that Wallethub has its head up its arse. Really? You stuck us after Grand Rapids and Fort Lauderdale?

And from the Red October Sports Desk …

It’s a wildly busy weekend for Philly sports fans, topped off, of course, by the first game of the Phillies’ playoff series with the Braves, in Atlanta at 6:07 Saturday. The second game is slated for Atlanta on Monday, after which the Fightin’s come home to CBP.

On Saturday, the Union entertain Nashville at Subaru Park starting at 7:30.

In Eagles news, the Birds are traveling to California to play the L.A. Rams at 4:05 on Sunday.

Sunday is also the Sixers’ preseason opener; they’ll go up against the newly Jrue Holiday-enhanced Celtics in Boston, with tip-off at 6 p.m.

The Flyers also play.

And On the College Gridiron

All on Saturday: Ursinus is at Franklin and Marshall at 1 p.m.; the Georgetown Hoyas visit Penn’s Franklin Field at 1; Temple hosts the UTSA Roadrunners at the Linc at 2 p.m.; Villanova travels to face the North Carolina AT&T Aggies at 4 p.m.; and suck it up, Penn State fans: They’ve got a bye.

All Philly Today sports coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.