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The Philadelphia 76ers are currently engaged in talks with the city about building a brand new arena in downtown Philly.
But if the Philadelphia Flyers have any say in the matter, the Sixers won’t be going anywhere. In fact, the Flyers are seemingly actively involved in a plan to keep the Sixers from moving into their proposed new arena.
The Sixers currently play at Wells Fargo Arena, which is owned by Flyers owner Comcast Spectacor. They lease the arena from the Flyers. But that lease expires in 2013.
The new arena, projected to open in 2031, is entirely privately funded and will be called 76 Place. The plan would demolish a block of the district that formerly housed a shopping mall called the Gallery at Market East.
But that’s not what the Flyers. They want the Sixers to remain tenants at Wells Fargo Arena.
And so they’ve hatched a plan to sabotage the Sixers’ new arena.
Jeff Gammage of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “a top executive at Comcast Spectacor” recently proposed turning the space at Market East into “a biomedical Innovation Hub.”
The executive and a developer shared renderings and details of the proposed project.
But herein lies the catch.
In a since-deleted line in the story, Gammage wrote “Comcast Spectacor confirmed details of the presentation Tuesday, after being contacted by The Inquirer. The company said the presentation followed a July meeting between CEO and chairman Daniel Hilferty and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, at which the mayor told him, ‘if you don’t want the 76ers’ arena, you need to give me alternatives.'”
For some reason, the Inquirer tried to stealth remove this section from their story but you can still see it in a snapshot from the internet archive. The second image is what it looks like now pic.twitter.com/suw1TQXegs
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) September 3, 2024
Clearly, nobody at Comcast Spectacor knew that they weren’t supposed to say the quiet part out loud.
The Flyers may well get their wish either way. The Sixers arena has faced vocal opposition from residents and fans concerned about its effects on the neighboring Chinatown area.
Meanwhile, the state of New Jersey has offered the Sixers hundreds of millions in tax breaks should they build just across the river in Camden. Camden is currently home to the 76ers practice facility.