November 76ers games canceled, Wells Fargo Center weathers the storm

Due to the NBA lockout, all Philadelphia 76ers games through November have been canceled. You might think that all those canceled games mean more time for a Rihanna concert or an extra Disney On Ice performance down at the Wells Fargo Center. But you’d be wrong. “It’s not something that we’ve been able to turn around and replace,” said Ike Richman, spokesman for Comcast-Spectacor, the parent company of Wells Fargo Center. “There are a lot of factors that go into filling dates. And it’s a process to book. It does take months in advance to schedule events, and it’s not something that’s easily replaceable in a short amount of notice.” So, when the league announces cancellations only two or three weeks in advance, it makes it tough to book anything in replacement. “It’s one of the busiest arenas in the country,” said Richman. “So you’re looking at missing possibly 41 very important dates, and we’re hopeful we don’t miss that many, but we still have over 250 annual events scheduled here in the building.” In short, they’ll still make money. It’s the part-time workers who staff the events that will lose. And all the local businesses that would usually be servicing fans and players. Not to mention, Philadelphia basketball fans.

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