John Middleton and Dan Hilferty took questions about the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Here are a few more.
The Phillies' and Flyers' leaders insist they're not actively trying to stop the Sixers from building a new arena. But it's tough to draw another conclusion.
When the Phillies revealed in March that they would join Comcast Spectacor in implementing a reported $2.5 billion plan to renovate and improve the South Philadelphia stadium complex, the timing of the announcement was … interesting.
The 76ers’ proposal to build their own arena at 10th and Market had been public since July 2022. Comcast Spectacor had unveiled its renovation plan last February, and the Phillies announced their involvement a month later. So after a year and a half, the civic negotiation and attendant debate that had raged between and around two of the city’s major sports franchises suddenly shifted. Now it wasn’t just Sixers vs. Flyers, and it was natural to interpret the partnership between the Phillies and Comcast Spectacor as their attempt to thwart the Sixers’ plan to leave the South Philly complex behind.
Wasn’t it, John Middleton?
“The verb you used, ‘thwart,’ means to actively oppose,” Middleton, the Phillies’ principal owner, said in an interview broadcast on Saturday morning on WIP (94.1-FM). “Nobody’s actively opposing the Sixers. They own their own team. They get to make their own decisions. They’re smart people. They’re experienced people. They’ll make what they think is the best decision for the Sixers, and all this does is try to show them that there is a path, if you stay in the sports complex, to get enormous economic benefit.”
So we should not interpret this partnership as the Phillies taking a public position on the Sixers’ desire for a new arena?
“Absolutely not,” Middleton said. “Let me be very clear: If I thought this plan was contingent on the Sixers’ staying as opposed to perhaps going, I wouldn’t be involved. I’m not going to waste my time personally. I’m not going to waste my senior executives’ time. I’m not going to waste the millions of dollars we’re going to spend on this just to hope the Sixers say yes. I’m just not going to do it. That’s a really foolish position for me to take — an irresponsible position, in my opinion, for my partners to take. We’re going forward regardless of what the Sixers do.”
Middleton and Dan Hilferty, Comcast Spectacor’s CEO and the Flyers’ governor, spent close to an hour making the case that the development of the South Philly complex was necessary for the city’s flourishing. More, Middleton said, “four of us are better than three of us,” meaning they don’t want the Sixers going anywhere. Given the Phillies’ alignment with Comcast Spectacor, at best they and Middleton are neutral toward the Sixers’ proposal for 76 Place at Market East. At best.
Let’s consider a few other questions and issues that came up during the interview.
Who will pay for the South Philly project?
Hilferty said that he hoped “there will be funding by state and city sources” to cover the work that PennDOT and SEPTA would have to do — i.e. road and public transportation improvements — to make it easier for people to get into and out of the complex. Middleton added that federal dollars might be necessary, too.
“Everything inside, from hotels to restaurants — we’re about to announce the construction of a 6,000-seat entertainment venue — will be all privately funded,” Hilferty said. “Anything else we do on the site will be, with partners, privately funded.”
The Sixers, for their part, have touted their proposal as offering “no cost to city taxpayers.” It’s a tempting promise, but one wonders whether they’d be able to keep it. Even a mogul such as Josh Harris, worth a reported $8.7 billion, might struggle to fund such a project without public money. He is, after all, no Steve Ballmer. The owner of the Los Angeles Clippers and the former head of Microsoft, Ballmer is worth a cool $154 billion.
Where do Mayor Parker and Gov. Shapiro stand on the plan?
“They are both really excited,” Middleton said. “The governor sees this as a significant — maybe even the most significant — development opportunity in the state of Pennsylvania. This is a major, major deal.”
It remains to be seen, of course, whether Shapiro will make a full push for the project before 2026 when he’s up for reelection.
» READ MORE: Joel Embiid should play in the Paris Olympics. It would be the best thing for him and the Sixers.
What about the Eagles? Jeffrey Lurie has been conspicuous in his public silence.
Middleton has communicated with Eagles leadership “from the beginning,” he said. “We met with them before any pencils were put down on paper or any drawings were made, any plans thought through.” Based on recommendations from the Eagles and other stakeholders — neighbors, and political leaders — the Phillies and Comcast Spectacor revised their original conceptual plan for the project. Middleton said he expects to talk to the Eagles again soon.
“One of the Eagles’ big needs is tailgating,” Hilferty said. “Our revised plan really addresses their concerns about tailgating.”
How far will the Eagles’ involvement go? Tough to say. It’s hard to imagine that Lurie wants to be a real estate developer. Consider this: The NovaCare Complex was state-of-the-art when its construction was completed in 2001, but that was 23 years ago. If the Eagles eventually decide it’s time for an update, will they renovate or rebuild at One NovaCare Way, or will they eschew Philadelphia’s wage tax and move their headquarters to South Jersey?
That leads to the last question …
What’s the future of the Wells Fargo Center?
Comcast Spectacor has poured $400 million into upgrading the building. “We feel like we’ve extended the life of the Wells Fargo Center significantly with the things we’ve done,” Hilferty said. “With this development plan, it will extend it even further.”
How much further, though? Ten years? Fifteen?
“At some point, we will need to build a new arena,” Hilferty said, “and that’s still many years out.”
Many? Look ahead just nine years, to 2033. Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park will each be 30 years old. In Pittsburgh, Heinz Field and PNC Park will each be 32 years old, and PPG Paints Arena will be 23. And the Wells Fargo Center will be 37. Will there be some kind of seven-team deal for state funding by then?