Philadelphia sports industry insiders hope summer festivities will translate into new opportunities

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With celebrations around the country’s 250th anniversary, the FIFA World Cup and the MLB All-Star Game all converging this summer, all eyes are on Philadelphia.

Sports entrepreneurs in the city hope the wave of big events and excitement will usher in a new era for Philadelphia sports. During a discussion on the city’s sports economy, hosted at WHYY by the Center City Business Association, panelists discussed the opportunities and challenges during this banner year.

The five panelists, who represented different sports and aspects of sports business, all agreed that logistics like transportation and parking can make or break fans’ experience.

With tens of thousands of sports fans expected to travel to South Philly to watch World Cup games, getting there will be crucial. Phil Laws, chief operating officer at Comcast Spectacor, said he wasn’t too worried.

“I think the World Cup will actually be a little easier than say an Eagles game just because it gets a lot of out-of-town fans … a lot of people won’t be driving,” Laws said. “I think the plan that the city has put in place is going to work very well.”

The plethora of summer events could also generate more excitement for different types of sports.

When people think about Philadelphia sports, it’s typically the Eagles, Sixers, Phillies, Flyers and the Union. But the greater local sports landscape started to shift this year with the Unrivaled Basketball women’s league in January and the PGA Championship in May.

Eric Robbins, co-owner of the Philadelphia Cycling Classic, expressed his enthusiasm over the return of the race this summer.

“We are just thrilled and honored to bring this great race back,” he said. “Every day there are challenges and hurdles, but we get through it together.”

The classic will be held Aug. 30, with a pep rally scheduled for Thursday, May 28, at 6 p.m.

Robbins said it’s key to bring communities together around sporting events to make sure residents feel part of something. He said community outreach was key in planning the return of the popular race.

Arun Prabhakaran, president of Urban Affairs Coalition, is an enthusiastic ambassador for Alpha Prime Racing. He’s getting people in the Philadelphia region excited about the sport and Lavar Scott, a young Alpha Prime racer.

“You know, when you say NASCAR, people are like, ‘Huh?’” Prabhakaran said. “But what they don’t know is that NASCAR desperately wants Philadelphia as a market.”

He said that Scott has been racing since he was a little boy, and could inspire other kids in Philadelphia to embrace the sport, or the technology that fuels it.

As far as what else Philadelphia sports fans could see in the near future, a WNBA team is a high point of interest. The panelists had no suggestions on what the team might be named, but said they hoped that a WNBA team might pave the way for more women’s sports in the city.

“It would be nice to be five years from now, if not started, but at least on the road to adding professional women’s soccer and also professional women’s hockey to that mix,” Laws said.

There was also some support for more pickleball events, or even a professional team.

“I think the Philadelphia Pickles is it, right there,” said Stephen Vanyo, who works as a registered NFL agent.

Fans seem to have a healthy appetite for more sporting events, and panelists agreed that there are enough sponsorship dollars to go around to support a wide array of events.

“When we met with potential sponsors, it was our job to really just convey to them what our ultimate mission was, instill that emotion in them and get them to understand that, you know, it wasn’t just about the race,” Robbins said.

“It was about a city, about the people of this great city. And they got it.”

Winning teams help drive excitement. With the Sixers and Flyers making it into the second round of the playoffs this season, Laws said that the advantages of an extended season go beyond extra games and playoff ticket sales.

“Obviously there’s the benefit of having some extra events. That’s great for your bottom line that year. But the real benefit is actually in the following year because it really does energize your season ticket base,” Laws said.

And of course, as the Sixers and Flyers drought continues, everyone wants championships. The Eagles’ two recent Super Bowl wins may have appeased Birds fans for now. But perhaps no local team needs a winner more than the Temple Owls.

“For me personally and for Temple, we need championships so that we’re in discussion when conference realignment and conversations restart as TV contracts start to end,” said Arthur Johnson, director of athletics at Temple University.

As the summer nears, Philly fans can keep up with all the activities in the 2026 Access Philly app.