Letters to the Editor | Nov. 6, 2024

On Saturday, the news began to spread that Jason Kelce, beloved retired center of the Philadelphia Eagles, had been involved in an altercation at Penn State. Videos began to circulate of Kelce, carrying a case of beer, being flocked by several dozen young people, most calling his name, begging for fist bumps and photo opportunities. In the middle of this controlled chaos came a voice calling Kelce’s brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, a homophobic slur. Kelce turned around, took the phone from the man who yelled out at him, and spiked it on the ground. He then threw the slur back at the man and went on his way.

Responses on social media included celebrations of Kelce’s response, pointing out how the young man deserved what happened to his phone. Some wondered whether Kelce would face legal action, while others were saddened by Kelce’s actions, saying they were beneath him, and wondered if he would have been better off spending the day with his family rather than attempting field goals with Pat McAfee. I agree with the latter response, seeing the whole incident as far below the personal standard I set for my own heroes.

Kelce has enormous influence over the public, and this event seems to be a part of a troubling pattern. At a playoff game in Buffalo, N.Y., Kelce was photographed drinking liquor from a bowling ball with Bills fans in the parking lot, and later he pounded a beer, stripped to the waist in below-freezing temperatures, and climbed out of a luxury box into the crowd while his wife looked on in horror. On the surface, this might simply seem like good, clean fun, but paired with an explosion of anger as well as homophobia, the two events seem more unfortunate.

Kelce’s playing career has ended, but his influence hasn’t. His drinking sends a powerful message to his fans, most of which are young men, and it begs the question of whether he is in complete control of himself. He certainly wasn’t on Saturday.

Iain Jakob Granville, Philadelphia

Regarding the recent editorial “Penny Dreadful?” I offer a modest proposal to eliminate the penny problem, double the cash penny savers have but are not using, and reduce federal government waste. As soon as practical, our government should stop minting 1 cent coins and offer 2 cents in exchange for every penny a person (or business) returns to a federally regulated bank. The returned pennies would be sent to the U.S. Treasury for removal from circulation. Retiring and removing the estimated 240 billion pennies in circulation with a two-for-one offer will clear out coffee mugs, jars, car cup holders, and piggy banks of pennies, put $4.8 billion cash into consumers’ hands, and stop expensive production of the rarely used but annually mass-produced coin. Program funding is from the U.S. Treasury no longer spending 3 cents to mine and mint every 1 cent coin. CoinStar and coin collectors may get upset, but there still are billions of nickels, dimes, and quarters out there to be counted and collected.

Fred Walker, Wyndmoor

In October 2020, a family member was in a horrific motorcycle accident in Delaware County. He was transported to the emergency room at Crozer-Chester Medical Center where the amazing trauma team stabilized him until he could be airlifted to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Without this initial stabilization, he would have likely bled to death. It is unconscionable what the series of for-profit health systems have done to the Crozer Health System and the residents of Delaware County. I vigorously support the proposal that the state of Pennsylvania takes over the management of Crozer Health, as reported in The Inquirer, until it can be restored to a viable nonprofit entity.

Janice Ciampa, Swarthmore

I heard a sad story on NPR about older homes in Pennsylvania that are in serious disrepair and the owners living on Social Security who are unable to afford such repairs. I am saddened to see whole blocks of older houses in Philly boarded up, and the area looking uninviting (to say the least). It all gives me feelings of shame and rage. How can we, the U.S., be so willing to give billions of dollars in aid to so many countries around the world, and yet be so derelict to our own cities and rural areas, allowing them to crumble around their elderly owners? How can we expect young people to feel any pride in their neighborhoods?

This is the generation that survived the Great Depression, fought in wars defending personal freedom, worked hard to build this nation up as they raised their families on middle-class wages. And now, many of these same people are unable to pay for expensive repairs and are forced to abandon their homes, their memories, and their neighborhoods. I can’t imagine a wealthy country as we are allowing such rot to take over the neighborhoods that helped make the U.S. what it is today, a leader in the free world. Don’t we, as a nation, have a responsibility to keep these neighborhoods in good repair? We certainly have the money.

Daphne Kontanis, Camp Hill

The 76ers arena legislation introduced by Councilmember Mark Squilla leaves the biggest problem unaddressed: gridlock. The impact studies found that if more than 40% of fans drove to the new arena, there would be substantial gridlock. Currently, about 75% of fans drive to games at the Wells Fargo Center. Changing the behavior of that many fans is unlikely. Squilla plans to form a transit oversight planning committee to deal with the problem after the arena is built. But there is no reason to think there is a solution other than to build the arena elsewhere. Planning should come first.

Gridlock will delay emergency response. Medical personnel are already sounding the alarm about accessing the Jefferson Hospital emergency room. Also, emergency vehicles, including those from the Chinatown fire station, will be delayed in responding to calls. In addition to its impact on health and safety, the gridlock will also negatively affect businesses in Chinatown and elsewhere around the arena. Who will consider dining in Chinatown or attending a performance at the Kimmel Center on the night of an arena event?

Debra Zellnner, Philadelphia

I appreciated Drexel’s Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation op-ed regarding the Sixers’ proposed arena. However, it lacked specificity, and I would like to address that. The major issue seems to be the detrimental effect on Chinatown. I’m not sure I agree with that assessment, but let’s try to fix it. Why not extend Chinatown south to Market Street? Why not have the Sixers provide small-business loans for new neighborhood businesses, or help with those businesses that would like to move to a new space? There is also space on the east side of 10th Street just south of Arch Street that could be rebuilt. The Chinatown gate could then be moved to Market Street.

The other alternative is to look at the monster we created known as the Pennsylvania Convention Center. What has been its impact on Chinatown? I have no idea. So, here is a radical idea: The Convention Center seems to be dark an awful lot of the time. I bet there is a creative architect out there who can redesign the building into a multi-use facility. Create the kind of facility that could host an auto show on Saturday and a Sixers game on Sunday.

Barry Vernick, Philadelphia, Bavernick818@gmail.com

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