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Democrats are in a “Philly state of mind,” having chosen the city to host their 2016 convention, and for the City of Brotherly Love, it is a rare win in a heated rivalry that most Philadelphians feel passionate about and many New Yorkers tend to ignore.

Much of the rivalry stems from sports, as New York boasts a haul of championships while Philadelphia fans are known for suffering losses and pelting Santa Claus with snowballs. Not seeing them as cosmopolitan, New Yorkers like to tease Philadelphians for their fixation with cheese steaks, cream cheese and the city’s famous but fictitious boxer, Rocky Balboa.

Hugh Douglas, a former Philadelphia Eagle, summed up the tension succinctly a few years ago.

“I hate New Yorkers,” Mr. Douglas said. “They’re smug. They think New York is the greatest city in the world. They talk about, ‘If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.’ If that’s the case, then why do so many damn people live there? You know what I’m talking about?”

Being just a fraction of the size of New York and only a hundred miles away has also added to Philadelphia’s often-lamented inferiority complex.

And when national newspapers — ahem — swoop in and declare Philadelphia “the next borough” of New York, it has tended to reopen old wounds.

After the Phillies — then the defending champions — lost to the Yankees in the 2009 World Series, Philadelphia signed Cliff Lee, a coveted pitcher, who chose to play for the Phillies in part because his family found the city to be a friendly place to live.

Losing the convention, which would have been held in Brooklyn, was clearly a loss for Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York, who said on Thursday, “Brooklyn is America’s greatest urban success story, which would have made it a great backdrop to nominate the next president of the United States.”

But Philadelphia will happily take the victory.

Josh Shapiro, chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, who lives just outside the city, summed up the sentiment for First Draft

“Game over, case closed,” he said. “We win!”