If Everyone Could Just Shut Up For A Minute, You'd Realize Both Sides Are Right And Wrong About The Sixers New Arena In Center City
Mitchell Leff. Getty Images.One of my least favorite sayings in life is that "everybody is entitled to their own opinion". Because some people really shouldn't be. The fact of the matter is that this world is filled with morons who are mentally incapable of understanding the concept of objectivity. Maybe it's just social media. Maybe it's just the times we live in where people are always so quick to choose sides. But if you live in the Philadelphia area, the know the discourse around the Sixers' new arena has been beyond exhausting for multiple years now. And the past 24 hours, that discourse has been injected with steroids and filled with the dumbest people you know somehow all turning into experts in urban planning over night.
If everybody could just politely shut the fuck up for a moment, you'd realize that both sides of this argument are right. And both sides of this argument are wrong. I know that's not what any of these dipshits want to hear. All they care about is defending their side of the argument to the death while giving zero recognition to any valid points the other side might bring up. But sometimes I think this world would be better off if everybody just listened to Jordie.
For starters--yes, the Sports Complex in South Philly is a massive part of the identity of Philadelphia and it makes us incredibly unique. Having all 4 major sports teams in the same location is special, and it's electric for the one month of the year when all 4 teams are (hopefully) playing. I know things got dicey for a decade there with the Phillies, but nothing is better than being down at the Sports Complex in October. There's a buzz in the air that's unlike no other.
With that being said, having a beautiful new arena in the heart of Center City would also be incredible. It's not like the Sports Complex is losing a stadium. And it's also not like the Sixers are a team that anybody tailgates for anyway. If the Eagles or Phillies were to leave the Sports Complex then that would fuck everything up. But it's not like the Sixers leaving actually takes away from the experience of being down there. And now we'll get a whole bunch of new restaurants and bars around the arena to finally wake up a completely dead section of Center City. That is a good thing….for most people.
Obviously it's not the greatest thing in the world for the people of Chinatown. And I get people being worried about those folks getting pushed out of their neighborhood. But that's just how life works sometimes, unfortunately. You can't be pissed off about people getting displaced from their neighborhood while you're sitting in a newly renovated Fishtown apartment you're paying $2500/month for.
Now when it comes to traveling to this new arena, it's yet another area of contention where both sides are infuriatingly stubborn. Those who live in the city want to sniff their own farts and tell everybody about how much of a neanderthal they are for not wanting to take public transportation into the city. And those in the suburbs watch too much Fox News and think it's impossible to not get r-worded and shot anytime you step foot in a SEPTA station. So yes, if as many people drive to the new arena as folks drive to the Sports Complex, it is going to be a traffic nightmare. It'll take days to get out of there. But at the same time..Philly isn't a public transportation city because the regional rail schedule is absolute dog shit. You can't expect people to give up the convenience of driving if there's only going to be one train per hour. You miss that train home and you're screwed. 15,000 cars showing up to an arena in Center City would suck, but it's also perfectly fine to admit that SEPTA sucks as well. If they can get more trains in and out of there then we'd be talking.
Really the only thing about the new arena argument where there's no nuanced discussion to be had is the fact that Josh Harris is a fucking weasel and a half. This rat dick bastard does not care at all about the people of Philadelphia. He doesn't care about the fans. All he cares about is your money. Which makes sense considering he's a billionaire team owner. But it would be an easier pill to swallow if he didn't own two direct rivals of other Philly teams. This dickhead threatened to take the Sixers to Camden just to get what he wants. And the city of Philadelphia caved to him all while he owns the Devils and Commanders? They should have told him to fuck off and jump off the Ben Franklin on his way across. You can support the new arena all you want, you can hate the new arena all you want, but at the end of the day it's just that Josh Harris is a loser.