Jason Kelce on new Sixers' Center City arena

Jason Kelce's passionate response to the agreement to Philadelphia and the 76ers on a new Center City arena.

Transcript

00:00Jason, your preference, Camden, Center City, Philly, the South Philadelphia Sports Complex,

00:06where would you prefer it be? I would prefer it stays in South Philly, unquestionably.

00:12And I'll say this, when it does get built in Center City and all of these people are displaced,

00:19at the end of the day, people are probably going to love it. In 10 years, all this is going to be

00:24different and we're probably going to be really happy that there's this beautiful complex that

00:28was developed down there and it's a thriving part of the city. But right now, I like, I really hate

00:34it. And part of me is like, I have scars from this, from growing up in Cleveland and watching

00:39Art Modell try and strong-arm the city and then move him to Baltimore. And I just, I really have

00:46a strong disdain for the fact that this guy strong-armed the city by threatening to move him

00:52out of the city. And all of these people that have devoted all their time, all their efforts,

00:57all their money and like a lifetime of fandom towards this team, and now you're going to

01:02strong-arm people against what the city wants. I really have a hard time being okay with that.

01:10I'm not okay with it. I think it's wrong. But that's how I feel. And I just, let me give you

01:16one more on that because I've said this in the air, I'll say it again. Part of what bothers me

01:20about what you just said there, not what you said, the Sixers ownership thing, I would have respected

01:25their position more if they less said it's about what's good for the city and more said what it's

01:32good for them. Yeah. They would not be doing this if it did not put additional monies in their

01:36pocket. That's why they're doing it. It has nothing to do with the city and the strong-arming

01:39the city. What do you do? Do you risk losing the Sixers? And like the only thing the fans can do

01:45is say, fine, move. We're not going to do it. And then we don't have a basketball team. And it just

01:49sucks. It just sucks that there's that much, um, you know, and this is part of, you know,

01:56the ownership group isn't Philadelphia. It's got a New Jersey devil's team, a Philadelphia team,

02:02and now a Washington team. And now they're forcing the city to do what this guy wants.

02:09And it sucks. But at the end of the day, like I said, at the end of the day, we're all going

02:14to be really happy with it. I do think that other than the people that get displaced out of Chinatown,

02:19and the people that aren't going to be able to live there anymore, the vast majority of fans

02:22are probably going to have a better interaction with a beautiful new stadium and outstanding new

02:27shops and retail and all in residential. It's going to be great. It's going to be fantastic.

02:34You know, it's just another, you know, whatever. Yeah. Jason, let me say part of this is like

02:39growing up in Cleveland. Like I went through this firsthand and I lost a football team for

02:42three years. So I get the mayor's position and why they're doing this, but it sucks.

02:47And I just don't think that amount of, you know,

02:53disrespect towards the citizens that allow you to have this team is appropriate.