• Loading stock data...
Friday, June 6, 2025

Commanders Aren’t Helping Josh Harris’s Image in Philly

Sixers owner Josh Harris isn’t expected to get a warm greeting when his Commanders face the Eagles with the Super Bowl on the line.

Jan 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris (middle) look on during the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Wells Fargo Center.
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

After Josh Harris led an ownership group to acquire the Philadelphia 76ers in 2011, his Philly roots were underlined. He wrestled at Penn, his parents met in Philadelphia, and his grandfather was a Philly postal worker.

Those local ties, however, flew out the Wawa in the 18 months since Harris landed the Washington Commanders, the Eagles’ opponent Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

“Philly fans are parochial and they’re loyal and they feel that if you own a team here that that should be your priority and that should be your focus,” said Kevin Kinkead, editor of the Philly-based “Crossing Broad” sports blog. “You’re talking about an Eagles rival in the NFC championship game. The stakes don’t get any higher.”

Harris’s estimated net worth (more than $11 billion) is more than the net worths of Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and Phillies owner John Middleton combined. But Harris hasn’t secured the brotherly love that area fans hold for Lurie and Middleton. 

“He is easily the most unpopular owner,” said Eliot Shorr-Parks, the Eagles beat reporter for Philly’s SportsRadio 94WIP. “I think it’s a combination of the Sixers’ perceived lack of success and him not being super charismatic when he talks.”

The Sixers haven’t made it past the second round injuries stunted what was projected to be a promising 2024–2025 season. Meanwhile, the Commanders under first-year head coach Dan Quinn and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels have made it past the second round in Harris’s second season as owner with Saturday’s upset of the Lions

“One thing you may or may not know, this guy is a hell of a competitor,” Quinn said of Harris this week. “He loves to compete. He loves all of that. On our Mondays is a recap of the game, so we review some of the things. … We get to maybe show six to 10 plays of what were the deciding plays in the game.”

Lurie and Middleton have banked some goodwill beyond both winning titles in Philly under their respective ownerships by being accessible to fans—and often echoing their fervor. Middleton, for example, told Phillies players during spring training last year, “I want our fucking trophy back.”

“Fans want their owner to also care as much as they do and Harris just isn’t good at showing that,” Shorr-Parks said. 

Although he’s been with the Commanders for only this season after nine with the Eagles, tight end Zach Ertz said he’s noticed some similarities between Harris and Lurie. 

“They’re both dedicated to winning,” Ertz told Front Office Sports. “They leave no stone unturned. Their commitment to the players is unparalleled. Mr. Lurie and Josh do a phenomenal job of just putting the players first and so I have a lot of love and respect [for] them.” 

“Philly Sports Guy” Jamie Pagliei, who makes a living as a superfan, said the reason Harris isn’t the most beloved owner in town goes beyond just the Commanders and the Sixers’ on-court struggles. 

“He held the city hostage the whole time with the City Center project,” Pagliei said. “I said when it started it was never going to happen, but he made everybody jump through hoops just to end up with a better deal at Wells Fargo Center.”

Philadelphia’s city council approved the planned $1.55 billion arena and mixed-use downtown development in December before Comcast Spectacor—the owner of the Flyers—and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment entered into a deal to keep the Sixers in South Philadelphia earlier this month. Comcast Spectacor and HBSE entered into a 50-50 partnership to develop a new arena for the Flyers and Sixers near the current Wells Fargo Center. 

Discussions for that deal, coincidentally, began as the Commanders hosted the Titans on Dec. 1. Harris, Blitzer, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts, and developer David Adelman were in attendance, and that’s when “the process really started” to keep the Sixers in South Philly, a source with knowledge of those conversations told FOS. 

HBSE also owns the New Jersey Devils, a team Harris took over as the controlling owner in 2013. But there wasn’t nearly the backlash for Harris in Philly even if both the Flyers and Devils are in the same division. 

“It doesn’t seem to matter so much that he owns the Devils,” Kinkead said. “Maybe that’s because the Flyers and Devils haven’t been good at the same time.”

It’s also not football and the Eagles have, by far, the most dedicated fan base in Philadelphia and beyond of all of the city’s teams. Harris will be at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, and he’s likely to be as visible on the field as he was in the Commanders’ road playoff wins in Tampa Bay and Detroit. 

“I think he’ll get booed heavily on Sunday and probably at the next Sixers game,” Shorr-Parks said. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

NBA Finals

NBA Finals Continue to Strip Away Pageantry

Fans once again complained about the lack of visible Finals markings.

Silver: NBA Local Media Woes Could Hurt Expansion Momentum

Las Vegas and Seattle have long been rumored as expansion cities.

Rodgers Signing Defies Steelers Reputation but Further Boosts Team’s Profile

The NFL team long known for avoiding drama signed a mercurial quarterback.
May 1, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; A general overall view as Dallas Mavericks and LA Clippers players run across the Clippers logo at midcourt in the first half during game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.

Kalshi’s Momentum Fuels Crypto.com’s Fight Over Sports Markets

Crypto.com cited a recent Kalshi court victory in its own fight against Nevada.

Featured Today

August 31, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The Goodyear blimp flies over Ohio Stadium during the first half of Saturday’s NCAA Division I football game between the Akron Zips and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Why the Goodyear Blimp Is at Every Major Sports Event

The airship wasn’t built to cover sports. Now it’s a regular presence.
May 27, 2015; Paris, France; Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) knocks the clay off her shoe during her match against Simona Halep (ROU) on day four of the French Open at Roland Garros
June 4, 2025

Roland-Garros’s Iconic Red-Clay Surface Is a Precise Alchemy

The exact science behind maintaining the French Open’s red clay.
Alex Jensen introductory press conference on Monday, March 17, 2025.
June 3, 2025

Alex Jensen Started Utah Utes HC Job While Still Coaching the Mavs

How Jensen began building an NCAA program while patrolling the Dallas sideline.
May 31, 2025

PSG and the City of Paris Can Join European Soccer’s Elite

What a maiden Champions League title would mean for the French club.

White Sox Deal Signals Ninth Inning for Reinsdorf’s MLB Legacy

One of MLB’s elder statesmen still has a lengthy to-do list.
June 5, 2025

Chiefs, Royals Have Massive Stadium Decision: Kansas or Missouri?

The Missouri Senate approves the stadium funding in an overnight session.
June 5, 2025

Michael Jordan’s 23XI May Lose NASCAR Charter After Legal Setback

23XI Racing has been suing NASCAR since last fall.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
Thibs
June 3, 2025

Knicks Fire Tom Thibodeau in Stunner After Deep Playoff Run

Thibodeau led the Knicks to four playoff appearances in five seasons.
A Chelsea FC banner is waved over the field at Stamford Bridge stadium.
June 3, 2025

U.K. Threatens to Take Former Chelsea Owner to Court for Billions from..

Abramovich sold Chelsea in 2022 for $3.4 billion.
June 3, 2025

Aces Players Get Second $100K Bonus As WNBA Probe Drags On

The sponsorship money is about $35,000 more than the minimum annual WNBA salary.
June 2, 2025

NiJaree Canady’s $1 Million Arm Slays Softball Favorite Oklahoma

NIL star Canady leads Tech to the Finals in her first season.