• Loading stock data...
Saturday, September 6, 2025
Fox Analyst and Media Entrepreneur Greg Olsen to Speak at Tuned In Get your ticket now!

Jason Kelce Blasts 76ers Chinatown Arena Plans: ‘I Really Hate It’

  • The basketball team has threatened a move to New Jersey as it tries to find its own arena.
  • The Eagles legend said he disapproves of the team’s tactics to try to get its way with the city.
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Jason Kelce chimed in on the 76ers’ ongoing arena saga Thursday on the local 94WIP morning radio show.

“The ownership group isn’t Philadelphian,” Kelce said. “And now they’re forcing the city to do what this guy wants, and it sucks.”

Sixers ownership, longing to escape the south Philadelphia home that they rent from Flyers owner Comcast Spectacor, has flirted with New Jersey while also pushing for a new arena downtown, right next to the city’s Chinatown neighborhood. Philadelphia mayor Cherelle Parker said Wednesday she supports the downtown plan, but local backlash has been fierce. A city-sponsored study found the downtown arena would benefit only one out of every five small businesses, hurt half of them economically, and could gentrify the neighborhood and displace residents.

Kelce said he knows a lot of fans would enjoy a downtown arena, but takes issue with the way it’s all coming together.

“When it does get built in Center City and all of these people are displaced, at the end of the day, people are probably going to love it. In 10 years, all this is going to be different. And we’re probably going to be really happy that there’s this beautiful complex that was developed down there, and it’s a thriving part of the city. But right now,” Kelce said, “I really hate it.”

The retired Eagles legend said he “unquestionably” would prefer the team to stay in South Philly. He also said he has “scars” from former Browns owner Art Modell trying to gain leverage in Cleveland when he was growing up, before moving the team to Baltimore and leaving the Ohio city without a football team for three years. He sees parallels with what’s happening in Philadelphia now.

“I really have a strong disdain for the fact that this guy strong-armed the city by threatening to move them out of the city, and all of these people that have devoted all of their time, all of their efforts, all of their money, and a lifetime of fandom towards this team, and now you are going to strong-arm people, against what the city wants,” Kelce said. “I really have a hard time being O.K. with that; I’m not O.K. with it. I think it’s wrong.”

Kelce acknowledged the city is in a tough spot. “What do you do? Do you risk losing the Sixers?”

Kelce said that besides the residents of Chinatown who could get displaced, most fans would likely have a positive experience with the new arena. “It’s going to be great; it’s going to be fantastic,” he said.

“I just don’t think that amount of disrespect towards the citizens that allow you to have these teams is appropriate,” Kelce said.

Plans for the new facility still need to pass a vote in the city council. The team has said it needs approval by the end of the year to line up the grand opening with the end of its lease at the Wells Fargo Center in 2031. Comcast Spectacor chair and CEO Dan Hilferty said the company’s “door will always be open for the 76ers” to stay in south Philadelphia.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Fox, ESPN Cry Foul Over Big Nielsen Number Expected for YouTube’s NFL..

Fox and ESPN executives criticized Nielsen’s use of custom measurement for YouTube.
Angel Reese

Angel Reese Suspended For Half-Game After Ripping Teammates

The team is disciplining Reese for criticizing her teammates publicly.
Sep 4, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Adoree' Jackson (8) tackles Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) during the third quarter of the game at Lincoln Financial Field.

Kalshi’s $27M NFL Opener Runs Into Tribal Challenge

California Tribes want Kalshi forced to implement geofencing.

NFL’s Expected Early-Season Ratings Boost Gets Off to a Stormy Start

The kickoff game somewhat resembles the delays last year in an SNF game.

Featured Today

Dec 21, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) gets ready to take the field prior to a game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

How Brazil Game Fits Into NFL’s Plans for World Domination

Friday night’s Chiefs-Chargers game in São Paulo is big by design.
Oct 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) celebrate their touchdown pass during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field.
September 2, 2025

TV Ratings Just Changed Again. The NFL Will Be the Big Winner

Nielsen’s new viewership system will have a big impact on sports.
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates with offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (74) after a touchdown catch against Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20, 2025.
August 30, 2025

The Most Expensive Roster Year in College Football History

The House settlement created revenue-sharing—and a big NIL loophole.
August 26, 2025

‘You’re Going to Get Beat Up’: The Liberty’s All-Male Practice Squad

A select group suits up weekly to take on the defending champs.
Aug 22, 2025; Bridgeview, Illinois, USA; Chicago Stars FC forward Jameese Joseph (8) passes the ball during the first half of a match against the North Carolina Courage at SeatGeek Stadium.

Chicago Stars FC Move to Evanston After 12 Years in Bridgeview

Stadium plans beyond the 2026 season aren’t solidified. 
Dec 10, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; A general view of the Delta Center before the game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Minnesota Wild.
August 19, 2025

Utah’s Sports Boom Expands Into Music, Emulating Atlanta

The Jazz and Mammoth owner strikes a major deal with Live Nation.
August 28, 2025

As CFB Programs Add Corporate Field Logos, Are Jersey Patches Next?

Texas is adding a sponsor’s logo to its football field this season.
Sponsored

Trailblazer Cal Calamia Is Racing for ‘Advocacy, Storytelling, and Performance’

The marathoner wants excellence—not just inclusion—to be the goal for non-binary athletes.
August 18, 2025

Browns $2.4B Stadium Plan Runs Into Airspace Turbulence

The team’s proposed stadium is deemed a threat to nearby airport operations.
Sofi Stadium
August 14, 2025

Los Angeles Olympics Will be First to Sell Venue Naming Rights

The decision breaks with a longstanding Olympic policy.
Nov 30, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; General overall view of the Dallas Cowboys logo at midfield during an NFL football game between the Washington Redskins and the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.
August 14, 2025

Arlington Pays Off Its Cowboys Stadium Debt 10 Years Early

Another major NFL venue retires its public debt far ahead of schedule.
Fans watch as players make it into the 18th hole during round three of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC in Scottsdale on Feb. 8, 2025. Arizona Republic
August 13, 2025

Country Club Initiation Fees Soar With Golf’s Popularity

In many areas, would-be members are joining decade-long wait lists.