In September, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker proudly introduced an exciting new project: a deal with the 76ers to build a state-of-the-art arena in Center City. She promised to fight tooth and nail to get public support and City Council approval.
“We are fighting back-to-back for this,” Parker told reporters with determination.
But, plot twist—the 76ers didn’t quite have her back.
While Parker was hitting the streets, rallying support for the Center City arena, the 76ers were secretly negotiating with Comcast. Comcast, through a subsidiary, owns the Wells Fargo Center, the home of the 76ers in South Philadelphia. The two sides worked out a new deal to keep the team in South Philly, effectively derailing the Center City project.
This sudden shift was a blow to Parker, who had worked tirelessly to promote the deal. She had called it “the best financial deal ever entered into by a Philadelphia mayor for a local sports arena.” She campaigned hard for it, even going on a citywide tour to get public buy-in and pushing City Council to approve it. She faced months of pressure from passionate opponents of the plan, yet she stood firm.
For Parker, the arena was more than just a project—it was a key part of her political strategy. It was a major talking point during her 2023 mayoral campaign, with support from unions who believed it would create much-needed construction jobs. She even made it clear that she wouldn’t oppose the project just because it was unpopular with certain groups.
But, as it turned out, some of her colleagues felt a little betrayed. Councilmember Jim Harrity, who initially supported the project, said he felt like a “pawn” in the game. Fellow Councilmembers Jamie Gauthier and Rue Landau, who voted against the deal, accused the 76ers of not working in good faith with the city.
Even Council President Kenyatta Johnson, who spent countless hours pushing the legislation through Council, made a lighthearted comment about the timing of the deal. “I wish y’all would have got the deal done before we actually started the process,” he quipped.
Parker, however, defended her role in pushing the deal, calling it historic. She also explained that she wasn’t involved in the behind-the-scenes talks between the 76ers and Comcast until after the agreement had been made. Still, she didn’t back down from her position: “I’m still the CEO of this city,” she said.
It’s clear the 76ers and Comcast had different plans from the start, leaving Parker in a tough spot. Robert Saleem Holbrook, executive director of the Abolitionist Law Center, said the city leaders “looked like they were playing checkers while the Sixers were playing chess.”
In the end, it seems like everyone got what they wanted—except for Mayor Parker. The unions still get the job creation they were promised, the 76ers still get a new arena, and Comcast gets to keep the team in South Philly. But for Parker, it’s a major political setback.
Philadelphia political insiders are calling it a “bad process” and a “whiff” for the mayor. Some even question whether big corporations are the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes.
But despite the setback, it’s unlikely this will be a long-term problem for Parker. Former city official Phil Goldsmith points out that the unions will still benefit from the new South Philly arena, which will create construction jobs. But now, Parker’s focus has to shift to the future of Market East, a part of the city that needs revitalization.
“This is a public issue,” Goldsmith says, urging the mayor to think beyond the Sixers and Comcast.
Parker has already said that the city will take charge of planning for Market East’s future. The proposed new South Philly arena may be moving forward, but now the real challenge begins for Parker: how to rebuild Market East and ensure that it benefits the whole city. As she put it, “Philly, this is a lot. This is a curveball that none of us saw coming. But nevertheless, we are here.”
