I'm Getting a Sports Complex

The LeBroniverse Effect on Philly sports

Might the Eagles actually get pushed to second banana status during King James’ reign in Philly?

Published July 28, 2026

With the saturation of sports media coverage, podcasts, blog sites, and more, just about every angle has already been covered when it comes to LeBron James’ decision to sign with the 76ers on a two-year deal. It was an NBA-altering move and has made the Sixers appointment viewing for at least the 2026-27 season. It’s also brought all kinds of pressure to win down upon them, and the only options now are glory or abject failure.

This should be fun for long-suffering Sixer fans, who have a legitimate chance to see their team advance past the second round of the playoffs for the first time in over a quarter of a century. And it’s also shifted the landscape when it comes to the rest of the city’s teams, who will have to play in the shadow of LeBron for the time being.

Even the Eagles will feel the impact of this. As the city’s undisputed #1 team that can count on support and dollars from legions of fans, maybe the Birds will feel the pinch of some of that merch money usually earmarked for Kelly and Midnight Green apparel migrating to Sixers gear instead. A good start is always imperative in a short season like the NFL slate, but things will get magnified even more for the Eagles this year, who will get five or six games under their belts before LeBron’s first regular season action in Philly. Everyone is expecting another solid season, of course, but what if things go off the rails early? We could possibly see the Eagles playing out the string with minimal interest in November and December if their performance isn’t up to snuff and the Sixers play the way they’re expected to.

There’s room for both teams to succeed, of course, as fans have long been able to multi-task with their eyeballs. If the Eagles put up W’s, there will be no cause for alarm at all, but what about the Flyers? The Orange and Black finally gained some long-overdue momentum with a playoff run last spring, but they’re seemingly back to “last place” in local interest thanks to LeBron since they can’t boast a star anywhere near his orbit, even with his advanced age at this point. The Flyers are still an exciting young team, and their diehard fans shouldn’t accept any kind of stepback after a successful 2025-26 season, but LeBron’s mere presence is enough to make the casuals turn away if the Flyers struggle, and they may not come back for quite a while if that happens.

I also shudder to think of what this means for the Phillies. The Sixers will just be ramping up for the season by the time the Phillies play Game 162 and prepare for the playoffs (if they make it). So there are really only two avenues for fan attitudes about the Phillies once the NBA season begins. If the Phils are still alive at that point, that means they’re playing in the NLCS and have clearly overcome some of the roster flaws they're currently showing. But if they’ve flamed out before then, for any reason, you will hear a city-wide proclamation of “I’m out!” and the natives will be extremely restless and eager to move on to something with a better chance of paying off.

Add in the fact that the 2027 MLB season is in danger of being shortened or even missed entirely, and there’s a chance that interest in the Phils will be at a Bryce Harper-era low whenever they resume play. If the Phillies bring the October disappointment yet again, LeBron and company can put a further dent in fan’s enthusiasm for their baseball team for at least the near future, and maybe beyond that since the Phillies’ roster is long in the tooth without much young help on the way.

It’s a strange situation overall, that the city’s sports mood over the next year or longer could be largely dictated by LeBron and his team’s performance. The other clubs still can make waves with good showings of their own, but the Phillies and Eagles might have to take a backseat for as long as this lasts.

Good luck to the Sixers on the LeBronnaissance, as they set out to put all the “process” business to bed once and for all. Maybe their potential success will even help elevate the other teams in the city, showing that star players can win here and ascend to a level that’s not possible elsewhere.

Let’s enjoy this ride. What could possibly go wrong?

Does LeBron wear the crown during games to cover his bald spot? (Image via @Sixers Twitter)

Philly puts everyone else to shame

All-Star Weekend proved it beyond a doubt

Published July 15, 2026

Ah well, back to not caring about the All-Star Game for another 30 years.

In all seriousness, though, how great was that? Put aside that the game itself was a stinkbomb and only served to show just how dominant MLB pitching has become in this day and age, but the entire All-Star experience in Philadelphia was a smashing success. Just like David Montgomery knew it would be all those years ago.

Ol’ Monty wasn’t alone though, as we all know how the city and its fans rise to the occasion when Philly has the spotlight. The fans are nuts, they’re loyal, and they have no problem showing love to their home team while showering the opposition with boos even when it’s supposed to be for a friendly exhibition.

I attended the Home Run Derby — more on that in a minute — but it all started with the All-Star Village at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. I personally know so many people who went down, and the large majority reported back that it was a great time. The main issue was long lines, which is to be expected when you have such a crush of locals and out-of-towners flocking to it. The event being overwhelmingly popular can only reflect well on Philly.

The pageantry of the game, even just watching from home, was great. It really was the perfect scenario, going with the whole colonial theme and even a Declaration of Independence-style lineup card that the players signed when they were introduced. Whoever came up with that deserves a bonus. And even though I dislike ‘The Sandlot’, nice job on that. As usual, the Fox broadcast was all over the place, but it was apparent that the Philly crowd was great, they pulled off some unique stuff, and it’s essentially going to be impossible to top for any host city going forward. Good. Your move next year (if there’s an MLB season), Chicago.

Back to the Derby that I attended. It’s come a long way since 1996, when I was there as an 11-year old. And it’s definitely lost a lot of luster over the years, which you can attribute to attrition over the whole concept, rule changes, and its target demographic generally becoming too old to really care. Hey, it happens. But everyone there on Monday was in it from the jump. The pre-event stuff, complete with the boxing ring, was amazing. It’s unlikely we’ll ever see two deserving players from the home team competing against each other in the event again, so it was even more special for fans of the team.

Only in Philly could the rest of the field get booed, as we lusted for both Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber to get as far as possible. Ultimately, it didn’t work out, of course. But it speaks volumes that Derby winner Jordan Walker and his dad both talked about how great the crowd was. They appreciated the passion the fans brought. It’s what every player should want to be a part of. Some random folk on social media pulled out their usual “Philly is the worst and their fans are garbage” nonsense because other players being booed is apparently not allowed. But they can get bent. This is what real fans in a real sports city do.

One would hope that we don’t have to wait another three decades to host All-Star Week, and that primo events in other sports look to Philly as a much more frequent venue. The people here care, and it makes for great theater. Every league and its broadcasting partner should eat it up. As we’ve all known for a long time but folks from elsewhere need to be reminded of, nobody tops the Philadelphia fans. Passion, loyalty, humor, holding players accountable…not sure what else you could want. This town and its fans were the MVPs of All-Star Week. Future iterations will just be vying for a very distant second place.

Harper is a slam dunk for Cooperstown and the Pandering Hall of Fame. Love it. (Matt Rourke/AP)

Bold strategy, Flyers

The offer sheet to Leo Carlsson is smart, fun, and has everyone talking

Published July 5, 2026

For the first time in years, the Flyers are the talk of the NHL, thanks to the offer sheet they’ve used on Ducks center Leo Carlsson that makes him the highest paid player in the NHL. Everyone knows the deal by now, as the Ducks have a few days to either match or accept the compensation of four first-round picks to let the Flyers have him. But more than just the nuts and bolts, this is a move that the Flyers NEED as an organization and it’s also just fun for the fans to see the team going for it.

First, the bad news, as industry consensus still favors the Ducks matching the contract, leaving the Flyers without the player and possibly missing out on a target or two in free agency by virtue of waiting around for word on Carlsson. And yeah that’d stink, but it’s still commendable on multiple levels:

The Flyers will have nuked the salary cap for Anaheim, and chaos like that is always entertaining.
Other players and agents may start looking at the Flyers’ willingness to pay top dollar, immediately making them a more attractive destination.
It’s not just a one-off; if the Flyers don’t get Carlsson, they aren’t just going to quit their pursuit of top-end talent. This is a sign that the time is now for the team.

Just a few days before news of the offer sheet broke, many were bemoaning the Flyers’ offseason, as they missed out on some trade targets and notably didn’t come away with John Carlson or any potential free agents that would have fit. They got Noel Acciari, but nobody was doing backflips over that. But this offer sheet is the kind of move that kicks off a multi-year pursuit of the Cup with a young core who seems ready to make the leap.

Again, even if the Flyers end up Carlsson-less, the message is clear. This management group believes in the team and the coaches, and they are prepared to bring in the help that’s necessary to get the team to the next level. For instance, maybe some star player becomes available during next season. The Flyers were obviously already content with parting with multiple first-round picks. A rival GM might place his first call to Danny Briere, and we see what happens from there. It’s just nice to know this isn’t a one-and-done situation, and that this front office can pivot and make alternate arrangements when necessary, as opposed to many other regimes we’ve seen in town for the Flyers and other clubs.

$18 million per season for Carlsson is an overpay. But if it were at a more reasonable level, Anaheim would have matched immediately, and the hope and excitement would be over before it started. We’ve talked about “big swings” for so long when it comes to this team, and it’s hard to believe that it’s finally here.

Enjoy it, Flyers fans. Maybe we’ll see Carlsson jerseys flying off the shelves soon.

Out of the Stone Age and into the New Era of Orange. (Rob Windfelder/ FlyersKnittyGritty)