If you think fans in your city are tough, then you may have never visited Pennsylvania, more specifically Philadelphia. Whether if it’s hockey, basketball, a Philadelphia Eagles game, or whatever; sports are more than just games in Philadelphia. Those guys leave it all on the arena night in and night out, regardless of if they’re going through a good moment or not.
The Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia Wings, Philadelphia Phillies, and Philadelphia 76ers have made this town one of the prime sports locations in the world. Even if they aren’t exactly the winningest cities. People here don’t care about hitting the clubs or going to restaurants, they only care about sports.
That’s why Philadelphia has gone through great lengths to host top-notch sports events in town, boasting some of the finest arenas for Flyers’ hockey games, basketball, football, Arena Football League, and even the National Lacrosse League and the Philadelphia Wings. And in the following paragraphs, we’re going to let you know everything there is about the South Philadelphia Sports Complex and more importantly, the Wells Fargo Center.
South Philadelphia Sports Complex
The South Philadelphia Sports Complex is the home of all Philadelphia sports teams except for the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. It hosts the Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field, and the Wells Fargo Center (formerly the site of John F. Kennedy Stadium).
Here, the city can watch the Eagles of the NFL at Lincoln Financial Field, or attend Philadelphia Flyers games of the National Hockey League, or even the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League. Also, the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA play there. This complex has also hosted the Arena Football League and more than one college basketball game, with the University of Pennsylvania, La Salle University, Saint Joseph’s University, Temple University, and Villanova University often using the premises.
What did Wells Fargo Center used to be called?
The Wells Fargo Center opened in August 1996 and was formerly known as the Spectrum II. This multi-purpose indoor arena lies on the former site of John F. Kennedy Stadium, which was also home to the Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia 76ers. This arena had a total cost of $210 million ($367 million in today’s dollars) and it’s owned by Comcast Spectacor and operated by Comcast Spectrum. Comcast Spectacor also owns the Flyers of the NHL.
Throughout their history, this arena has been called in multiple ways. It was first known as CoreStates Center from 1996 to 1998, then First Union Center from 1998 to 2003, and Wachovia Center from 2003 to 2010. Then, the Wachovia Center name was dropped when Wells Fargo merged with Wachovia. Since 2010, it’s been known as the Wells Fargo Center, except by a brief period in 2015 when the Sixers and Comcast Spectacor ceased to recognize their naming rights. Comcast Spectacor even signed a non-signage sponsorship agreement with Firstrust Bank as their official banking sponsor due to some differences with Wells Fargo.
Can you bring bags into Wells Fargo Center?
If you want to watch an NHL or basketball game at the home arena of the Philadelphia 76ers, you must be aware of a couple of things. For starters, you cannot bring any sort of bag to the Wells Fargo Center. The staff prohibits backpacks, purses, clear bags, fanny packs, camera bags, drawstring bags, totes, and suitcases inside the building, regardless of it’s for a Flyers game, a Sixers game, or a concert.
How big is the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia?
Located at the heart of the biggest sports complex in the city, there’s no wonder why there are always so many people at Wells Fargo Center during every Sixers game. This beautiful sports center occupies approximately 360,000 square feet. It also hosts dozens of restaurants and multiple concessions.
How do I get to the Wells Fargo Center?
The Wells Fargo Center is located at 3601 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19148. You can get to the Wells Fargo Center by using the SEPTA Subway, regional bus, or the SEPTA Regional Rail.
How many fans fit in Wells Fargo Center?
The Wells Fargo Center can hold an estimated crowd of 17,597 for Arena Football, 19,306 for the NHL, and 20,478 for basketball. The home arena of the Sixers is also known for hosting concerts, and college basketball teams, with a record attendance of 20,907 fans.
How old is the Wells Fargo Center?
As we mentioned before this arena opened on August 13, 1996. It’s located at 3601 S. Broad Street. The ground broke in 1994 and it’s been nearly the same ever since. It’s been called CoreStates Center, First Union Center, and Wachovia Center as well. The first event at Wells Fargo Center was one for the ages: a private concert by Ray Charles. Then, its inaugural concert featured Oasis, The Manic Street Preachers, and The Screaming Trees.
What happened to the Philadelphia Spectrum?
The Philadelphia Spectrum, which also used to be where the Flyers played their home games, didn’t have enough luxury suites or accommodation to properly fit the Flyers and Sixers. That’s why they decided to build a new, more modern multi-purpose indoor arena. Besides hosting sports, hockey, basketball, and countless events; that building saw many incredible concerts throughout its history, including Elvis Presley, The Doors, Bruce Springsteen, and many more. Its final event was a Pearl Jam concert.
Have The Sixers Changed Their Name?
Yes, like many other teams, the Philadelphia 76ers changed their name in 1963 when they relocated to Philadelphia. Believe it or not, this team has links with New York, as, In the beginning; they were known as the Syracuse Nationals. Then, a couple of investors bought the team and moved it to Philadelphia.
Philadelphia 76ers: A Sleeping Giant Looking To Get Back To The Top
The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the most iconic franchises in the basketball world. They’ve been around long before the birth of the NBA, being founded as the Syracuse Nationals in 1946, as they were located in New York. They didn’t make the trip to the City of Brotherly Love until 1963 when Irv Kosloff and Ike Richman bought the team from Danny Biasone and brought it to Philadelphia, naming it Philadelphia 76ers to honor the United States Declaration of Independence signed in that city in 1776.
Throughout the decades, the Sixers have had some of the greatest and most impactful players in the history of sports. The first great player to don their jersey was none other than Hal Greer, who spent his entire 15-year career with the organization and walked them through the relocation. Then, the legendary Wilt Chamberlain took the NBA by storm and made Philadelphia the mecca of basketball during his prime, with every game packed with thousands of fans.
Chamberlain was a bit of a legend around the city and was already thriving with the Philadelphia Warriors before joining the Sixers. Then, joined by stars Chet Walker, Lucious Jackson, Wali Jones, and the aforementioned Hal Greer, Chamberlain led the Sixers to their second title ever, the first in Philadelphia.
Wilt’s departure to the Los Angeles Lakers was one of the turning events in Sixers’ history, as they struggled to compete with some of the other sports franchises around the NBA and went from perennial contenders to bottom-feeders. It wasn’t until 1976 that Pennsylvania found hope again when the great Julius ‘Dr. J.’ Erving made it to the city and shocked the world with his unmatched athleticism. Eventually joined by Moses Malone, Erving and the Sixers ran their rivals of the floor night in and night out, and they were able to win their third NBA championship, the last in franchise history.
Later, the Sixers continued to bring fans to the arenas thanks to Charles Barkley, one of the main sources of entertainment around the sports business. Chuck, who was an avid rebounder and a fierce trash-talker, helped the Sixers advance to the playoffs multiple times but they didn’t find the success they’d hoped. Eventually, Barkley left the city and the Sixers once again struggled to play their best basketball.
Then, in perhaps the most defining event in the NBA in the mid-90s, the Sixers finally gave the fans what they wanted by getting one of the most talented players in National Basketball Association history: Allen Iverson, the Answer, the master of the crossover, and the guy who brought thousands of people to the arena night in and night out. While the Sixers couldn’t win more NBA championships under Iverson’s command, he led them back to the Finals in 2003, but Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were just too much to handle and they could only take one game away from the Los Angeles Lakers. Ever since that day, South Philadelphia hasn’t hosted an NBA Finals game again.
The Sixers crowd had to endure tough times again with a team that wasn’t competitive enough to sit with the basketball elite. Even so, the arena was often full of diehard supporters that would never abandon their squad. Later, after years of mediocrity and a never-ending rebuild, Joel Embiid and “The Process” came along, with people looking at Pennsylvania again as one of the prime basketball sites in the nation.
Embiid and Ben Simmons haven’t been able to go the distance just yet and most fans think Simmons will never set foot in their arena again, especially given the way the media has treated him. But the Sixers have finally become a legit championship contender again and this venue sure deserves to host another NBA Finals game. Hopefully, they’ll be able to get over the hump once for all and prove that when they’re focused, no one can take 4 games from them in a playoff series.
