• Loading stock data...
Friday, September 12, 2025
Tuned In is Almost Sold Out! Limited Tickets Remain!

Wells Fargo Center Owner Fires Back As 76ers Arena Fight Heats Up

  • Comcast Spectacor takes issue with podcast statements by Adelman
  • Battle escalates over bid to build second Philadelphia arena
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The owner and operator of Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center — home to both the NBA’s 76ers and NHL’s Flyers — has taken direct aim at the 76ers’ attempt to build a new downtown arena.

Responding to David Adelman’s appearance this week on the Front Office Sports Today podcast, Comcast Spectacor said the chair of the 76ers’ arena development project misstated key components of the ongoing facility debate, which has increasingly roiled both the two organizations and the city at large.

“Philadelphians deserve the facts, not mistruths and distortions being said about the new Wells Fargo Center, game and event scheduling, and more,” a Comcast Spectacor official told Front Office Sports.

Among the items under dispute is that Wells Fargo Center ranks “near the bottom in every major category” in an NBA fan satisfaction survey, according to Adelman. That league survey, obtained by Front Office Sports, indicates the current arena ranks 14th in the NBA on overall game experience satisfaction, and either matches or approaches overall league averages in several categories ranking arena operations and game experience. 

Adelman also said Comcast Spectacor “scrapes” more than 200 calendar days per year at the arena for events and concerts beyond 76ers and Flyers games, a figure the company says is “neither true nor mathematically possible.”

Adelman did correctly say that 28 of 30 NBA teams play in downtown arenas, with only San Antonio’s newly renamed Frost Bank Center joining Wells Fargo Center outside its city center. 

Comcast Spectacor has sought to counter Adelman’s plan with a $400 million renovation, as well as a supplemental development project at the sports complex in South Philadelphia to be announced later this year. 

Adelman said the Wells Fargo Center improvements were “cosmetic” in nature, but the company argues that “nearly everything but the foundation, steel, and concrete has been replaced with state-of-the-art materials and amenities.”

The 76ers’ lease at Wells Fargo Center expires in 2031.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Kuminga, Grimes Remain Unsigned As Giddey Agrees to $100M Deal

Two of the four restricted free agents have inked deals.
Padraig Harrington is interviewed by the Golf Channel on the 18th green after the final round of the TimberTech Championship at The Old Course at Broken Sound on Sunday, November 5, 2023, in Boca Raton, FL.

From Golf to EPL, Versant Targets Deals After NBCU Split

The USGA’s media-rights extension included NBCU and the spin-off Versant.

More Dildo Throwing During WNBA Games Leads to Second Arrest

The 18-year-old threw a dildo that hit another fan and his young niece.

Smelling Salts Not Banned in the NFL, but Teams Can’t Hand Them..

Teams are banned from supplying smelling salts to their players.

Featured Today

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.
September 9, 2025

As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

Buffalo and the powerful Canadian entity MLSE come together in a new pact.
opinion
September 9, 2025

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from NFL’s Week 1 Broadcasts

Many viewers decried the addition of ads to “NFL RedZone.”
Aug 23, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the Denver Broncos helmet against the New Orleans Saints during warmups at Caesars Superdome.

Broncos Eye 2031 Opening for New Multibillion-Dollar Stadium

The NFL team plans a new venue and mixed-use development.
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.
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.
September 4, 2025

Chicago Stars FC Move to Evanston After 12 Years in Bridgeview

Stadium plans beyond the 2026 season aren’t solidified. 
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
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 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.