On the Sixers’ downtown arena, and Saquon Barkley’s meaningless pursuit of the rushing record

The spectacle of anger and outrage at the Philadelphia City Council meeting Thursday is one of the more heartening displays of the citizens’ investment in their environment.

Love to see that happen. Glad it didn’t matter.

The meeting was held for the final vote on the bills regarding the Sixers’ $1.3 billion arena project at Market East. The package passed, 12-5. It was a no-brainer. It will make the city better.

I lived in Old City for 13 years. I’ve been a suburbanite for the last 20, but The Inquirer offices are a few blocks from the area in question, and I plan to move back into town within the next few years. I use public transportation constantly in every city I visit. Cities need life. The Sixers’ arena brings life to a section of the city that is in need of invigoration.

This is initiative. Initiative involves change. The arena project will bring changes predictable and unforeseen. The most obvious change will be to adjacent Chinatown.

» READ MORE: Philly Council’s vote to green-light the 76ers’ arena plan revealed new power dynamics and reaffirmed old truths

There is a risk the arena flops. It will cost the city and state tens of millions of dollars, and maybe more, to accommodate the project. It will clog traffic during its seven (seven?!) years of construction, and it will cause congestion on nights when, eventually, there are basketball games, concerts, and other shows.

My neighbors in Bucks County and my friends in the western suburbs generally hate to take trains to Philly, so they might never again see a Sixers game in person, and they might have to watch “UFC 1,000” on pay-per-view. That’s their loss.

All of those issues — cultural disruption and displacement, transportation, civic costs — historically have made the idea of downtown arenas or stadiums unpopular. But all of those things make everything new unpopular. Without change, without risk, there is no progress.

The project also will mean construction jobs in the short term, service jobs in the long term, and opportunities for businesses big and small to invest and grow. It will mean the revitalization of a struggling area.

» READ MORE: The Sixers have tried to build their own arena before. Here’s a timeline of the failed attempts.

After all, there was no viable opposing strategy. I’ve lived here for more than 30 years. Market East always has been poorly utilized. Philadelphia is a vibrant international city. It’s heartbreaking to see a commercial desert where there should be a centerpiece. This is the centerpiece.

Did the Sixers have presentation problems? Sure. They were just a little too slick for Philly’s liking. The project’s spokesperson, millennial David Gould, is a Penn grad who wears hooded sweatshirts under his sport coats, which is a look most of us could never pull off. The project’s creator, minority Sixers owner David Adelman, is a billionaire sweaters guy with a Gordon Gekko hairstyle and a triathlete’s physique.

What do you expect? These are real estate developers. They don’t know how much gas costs per gallon, but they now know how much it sells for per barrel. So, did their civic-minded presentation offend the sensibilities of a savvy and cynical populace? Yes.

But now, that’s over. The Sixers won. And Philly won. Philly now will have its own Madison Square Garden like New York, its own TD Garden like Boston, its own Staples Center like L.A.

Be happy for them. Be happy for us.

The Eagles had a slim chance to win the NFC East and the NFC’s No. 2 seed in Game 17 last season. They needed to win at the Giants, but they needed a Cowboys loss or tie against the woebegone Commanders. Nick Sirianni made the mistake of starting almost all of his best players. That included quarterback Jalen Hurts and receiver A.J. Brown.

» READ MORE: Commanders on the challenge posed by Eagles’ Saquon Barkley: ‘He is at his best at the end of games’

Hurts dislocated the middle finger on his right hand, which is his throwing hand. He returned and played the next week, badly. Brown left the game with a knee injury. He did not play the next week in the blowout playoff loss at Tampa Bay. Three other Eagles also were injured against the Giants.

And the Cowboys won anyway.

» READ MORE: A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts were injured in a meaningless Eagles game. It was sickening.

So, when Saquon Barkley admitted this week that his limited use last Sunday against the Steelers was a result of a lingering hip injury, it seemed logical that the talk of his attempt to break Eric Dickerson’s rushing record would disappear. In light of the bigger picture, any thought of using him at even a normal rate of 20.4 carries over the last three games seemed outlandish.

Incredibly, the talk continues.

Barkley needs 418 yards to pass Dickerson, who ran for 2,105 for the Rams in 1984. He would need to average 139 yards against the Commanders, Cowboys, and Giants, who rank 25th, 29th, and 31st against the run, respectively.

» READ MORE: Eagles RB Saquon Barkley is feeling good after getting banged up Sunday vs. the Steelers

Look, I’m completely in favor of any shine Barkley earns. He’s as good a person as he is a player, and he’s the best running back to ever play in Philadelphia. But he’s only 10 rushing attempts shy of his career high set two years ago, so he’s had a lot of wear and tear. He’s in his seventh season. His 1,486 rushing attempts rank fifth since he entered the league.

Sirianni should use Barkley as much as he needs to, but no more. Asked what he’d do it there were yards for the taking, Sirianni responded: “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

This is unsettling, considering that, in Game 6, Sirianni offered to send Barkley back into a game against the Giants to pursue his single-game career high in rushing yards. Barkley declined: “Nah, I’m good.” (Barkley shattered his career high five games later.)

Hopefully, Barkley will continue to show some sense if Sirianni doesn’t.

Consider this scenario: The Eagles are leading by 14 points with 6 minutes to play and Barkley has 95 rushing yards. My move: Play Kenneth Gainwell and Will Shipley. Sit Barkley.

Barkley wasn’t signed to a $37.75 million contract to gain 46 yards in the fourth quarter of a game that’s already salted away. He was brought to Philly to gain 46 yards in the fourth quarter of playoff games — maybe the Super Bowl. He was brought here to protect leads and grind out drives as opposing defenses withered in the most meaningful games and moments.

Barkley wasn’t brought to Philly to chase numbers.