Contrary to what developers are saying about the arena, all research shows that sports venues can harm the local economy and exacerbate existing class inequality. Economists surveyed in 2006 reached a nearly unanimous conclusion that tangible economic benefits generated by sports arenas are not significant.

• Local businesses won’t profit from the arena like developers claim. According to one study, sports account for less than 5% of the economy and “sports-led development is unlikely to succeed in making a community richer.” Arenas earn money by funneling profits back to affluent developers and business within. This could force surrounding family-owned businesses to close, and increase wealth inequality in the arena’s surrounding neighborhoods, including Chinatown and Old City.

• Sports venues aren’t very effective at creating jobs. At the arena, temporary low-wage jobs will only become available for a fraction of the year. The 76ers Development Corporation estimates they’ll host around 150 events each year, which means the arena won’t need event staff for 60% of the year.

Philadelphians deserve to live in a city where we can thrive – where we all are paid a fair wage for our work, take care of our families, and contribute to our communities. The arena will not help us become a thriving city.

Philadelphia earned its welcoming city designation in 2023, which recognizes the city’s consistent efforts to “support immigrant communities and ensure that they have the opportunities to fully contribute and thrive.” The arena is in direct opposition to these welcoming city efforts and would be a significant contributor to neighborhood and residential displacement that will disproportionately affect low-income and immigrant residents whose first language is not English.

• Arenas displace vulnerable populations. According to census data, over 20% of residents live in poverty in the neighborhoods surrounding the proposed arena. Sports arenas gentrify neighborhoods by raising property values, and this could leave vulnerable populations, including communities of color and elderly residents, at a significant risk of displacement. Examples of this can be seen in the neighborhoods near the Barclays Center in Brooklyn with the development of Pacific Park, a luxury mega-complex.

• Arenas destroy low-income communities like Chinatown. A recent survey done by Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation found that over 93% of Chinatown business owners, residents, and visitors oppose the arena. The Chinatown neighborhood is directly adjacent to the proposed arena. This community provides indispensable in-language support to countless Chinese immigrants, elders, children, and families. Since the period of “urban renewal” in the 1950s and 60s, predatory developers have torn down buildings in Chinatown for commercial projects, further narrowing the community’s radius. If the Sixers arena is built, Philadelphia will lose this culturally significant neighborhood.  As rental costs rise due to the arena, Chinatown’s residents and businesses will have no choice but to leave. An example of this can be seen in Washington DC’s Chinatown, where many Chinese businesses were forced to close after the Capital One Arena was built.

As of 2022, Philadelphia is the #4 most traffic congested city in the United States – and an arena would only make road congestion worse. There’s no way around it: Higher levels of traffic will significantly decrease quality of life for all city residents. 

• Arenas exacerbate traffic. Traffic has a high cost. A 2019 economic study on traffic congestion in Center City calculated $152 million of time and transportation costs lost annually for bus and car passengers. The proposed arena will hold over 18,000 people, which will undoubtedly worsen traffic within Center City. Traffic delays also impact buses significantly more than cars, and these setbacks may force some riders to shift to cars. This could add more cars to roads, creating further congestion across the entire city.

• An arena will reduce residential parking. Parking scarcity leads to traffic, and can even drive away potential business to surrounding neighborhoods. According to the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, Market East and Chinatown had just 12,635 public parking spaces in 2020. If half of the arena’s guests arrived in personal vehicles, as estimated by 76 Dev Corp,  this would leave only 30% of parking in the area for other visitors to use.

• An arena will squash Jefferson Station. Jefferson Station is the second busiest public transit station in the city, and serves as a connector for SEPTA’s suburban trains, the Market-Frankford Line, the Ridge Avenue Spur, and PATCO. It’s also within the foundation of the proposed construction site for the Sixers’ arena. According to Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Inga Saffron, there is a huge concern that “most of the work will have to take place between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m…No trains would be able to run during that period. The construction is sure to have a major impact on neighboring businesses.”

The negative impact that this arena will have on traffic and public transportation is inevitable. The quality of life for everyone within the Greater Philadelphia Area will decline, which is why all residents should be against the building of this arena.

Arenas pose a huge threat to the safety of the surrounding neighborhoods and residents. All studies show that sports arenas bring danger to our communities, especially those who are low-income or homeless. The whole city should be filled with safe, vibrant neighborhoods, that sustain the livelihoods of all residents.

• Arenas create “dead zones” that increase crime. Arena developers estimate that the arena will only host 150 events per year. This means the surrounding area will be a dead-zone for 60% of the year. Dead zones are areas of low pedestrian activity that often lead to increased criminal activity, putting Center City residents and visitors at heightened risks of danger. The arena is an ineffective solution to existing safety concerns.

• Arena-related traffic will make it harder for emergency services to respond. One study showed that sporting event-related traffic caused a significant delay in police response time. Traffic will also cause major problems for ambulances and Philadelphians using emergency services to access Jefferson Hospital, which is within two blocks of the proposed arena site.

• Arenas cause gentrification, which can increase rates of homelessness. As of 2023, a Pennsylvanian working for the federal minimum wage of $7.25 would have to work 94 hours per week to afford a 1-bedroom home at market rate. The arena – and the gentrification that follows – will create extreme hardship for low-income and homeless community members in the area. Rising rents and living expenses will also put many at risk of becoming homeless or unsheltered. Housing is a basic human right; it is necessary for the safety of all residents, and we cannot allow the arena to put our community at risk.

Constructing an arena will harm Philadelphia’s environment. It will setback Philadelphia’s environmental goals. In 2021, the City of Philadelphia committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. But the construction and use of an arena will increase pollution, make the city feel hotter, and generate dangerous levels of greenhouse gas emissions.

• Construction causes harmful air pollution. Building the arena will require a massive construction site. This will release a dangerous amount of harmful particles into the air, and will put surrounding communities at risk for health issues, especially for people with respiratory conditions such as asthma. The WHO estimates that air pollution has caused 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide in 2019.

• Arenas make cities hotter. Large sports venues contribute to what is called the “heat island effect.” Arenas absorb and release the sun’s heat. This increases temperatures in urban areas – and once this change occurs, it’s very hard to lower temperatures to previous levels. A study on two stadiums in Boston and Green Bay drew a clear link between arenas – like the one proposed by the 76 Dev Corp – and sweltering city temperatures.

• Arenas waste massive amounts of energy. On average, sports facilities use 50% more energy than other commercial buildings. Arenas also use significant levels of air conditioning, which  raises the global temperature through releasing waste heat into the atmosphere. This form of pollution is a major factor contributing to climate change around the world.

Philadelphians deserve to live in a safe, clean environment that can sustain life for future generations. The arena will make the surrounding residential neighborhoods uninhabitable. We cannot allow billionaire developers to destroy our environment for profit.

The proposed arena’s proximity to residential neighborhoods and emergency services poses major risks to public health and healthcare access – during the arena’s construction, and beyond. Environmental pollution causes deadly health complications in people of all ages, and the resulting traffic from an arena will increase the likelihood of toxic pollution

• Arena construction poses serious risks to natal health. A 2019 study discovered that infants born during sports facility construction periods have lower birth weights than infants born in comparable counties with no comparable construction. Philadelphia averaged 20,000 births per year between the years of 2017-2020. During the proposed five year construction period, the arena has the potential to cause low birth weights for almost 100,000 infants within the city. This is just one known example of how mass-scale construction is a hazard to health. 

• Arenas increase toxic pollution, which increases rates of disease. Pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and death in the world. According to The Union of Concerned Scientists, Pennsylvania already has one of the highest rates of auto-related pollution in the Northeast United States, with Philadelphia having the highest rates of pollution exposure within the state. The construction and use of the proposed arena will increase pollution to the city, making residents even more vulnerable to pollution-related diseases. 

• Construction will increase health risks to patients visiting nearby hospitals. Jefferson University Hospital in Center City serves thousands of patients that come from all around the entire city, and is one of the first sites of medical care for residents near the proposed arena. The Market Street corridor between 10th & 11th is a crucial walking area for residents and for those taking public transportation to Jefferson Station to access services and buildings located in Center City. Construction of the arena and the community safety concerns during its operation  will make access to medical care dangerous and difficult, especially for elderly and disabled residents.

We all want to be able to live long and healthy lives and have access to medical care when we need it. The construction of an arena in the heart of our city threatens the health of our communities, and we must do everything in our power to prevent the arena from being built.