Shapiro remains steadfast on no state money for new arenas, champions Pa. sports scene at Pocono

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro reaffirmed the state would provide no funding for any new sports arenas — a possibility that looms with the Eagles' lease set to expire in 2032 — and said there were conversations about bringing NASCAR to Philadelphia as he championed the state's full sports slate next year during an appearance Sunday at Pocono Raceway.
Shapiro said he would continue talking with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and the Rooney family in Pittsburgh about what — if anything — the NFL teams need when it comes to the state of their stadiums.
Pittsburgh's Acrisure Stadium, the home of the Steelers, opened in 2001 while Lincoln Financial Field opened in 2003 in Philadelphia's shared sports complex. The Eagles do not own the Linc. The team will need to renew its lease or build a new stadium, and Lurie said during the lead-up to the Super Bowl that he was "torn" over the idea of replacing the stadium or staying put in the home where they raised their only two Super Bowl championship banners.
If a new stadium is proposed, it won't come with state money — just as Shapiro said he would not provide when the 76ers considered building a new arena (ownership did not ask for the funds) last year.
(The 76ers decided to partner with Comcast Spectacor, their current landlord, to build a new arena in South Philadelphia.)
"I'm very worried about the overall budget," Shapiro said Sunday at Pocono. "I'm very worried about the overall economic situation given the federal cuts. You want to balance investing in tourism, investing in sports, investing in great arenas and facilities, with making sure that you're also investing those dollars in things that Pennsylvanians need most."
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro talks to the media prior to a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Pocono Raceway, Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Long Pond, Pa.
Derik Hamilton / AP
Shapiro, who spoke ahead of the scheduled NASCAR Cup Series race at the track, declined to get into specifics about any stadium conversations with the state's NFL owners.
"I will tell you that we want to make sure the Steelers, we want to make sure the Eagles, and all of our pro teams have outstanding places to play," he said. "That are welcoming for fans. That generate revenue.
"We're going to continue to dialog with them about what they need and what's possible."
Shapiro promoted the financial impact generated for the state each year because of the NASCAR weekend at Pocono. He praised Pocono Raceway officials for its third straight sellout crowd set for Sunday. The track sold out all frontstretch seating, premium seating, suites, infield camping and the grandstand camping area. It also is the fifth consecutive year that the entire infield camping inventory has been sold out.
Pocono President Ben May said the track sold around 50,000 grandstand tickets, around 2,000 suite seats and 3,300 camping spots.
NASCAR expressed at least a cursory interest in adding to its recent string of offbeat race locations — everywhere from Mexico City to a temporary track inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum — and floated the idea of holding a race inside a Philadelphia stadium, Franklin Field. The site is traditionally home to the Penn Relays and college football.
"There's some conversations," Shapiro said. "First and foremost, we don't want to do anything that undermines Pocono. But as Ben (says), the more NASCAR the better. The more racing, the better. The more we can turn people on in communities that haven't been to Pocono yet, to get excited about racing, and then make that trip to Pocono next year, the better. I want to see more NASCAR, more racing. I also just want to see more sports in general."
He'll get his wish next year.
Shapiro laughed when he said he calls into sports talk radio stations as "Josh from Juniata" and was all-in on the heavy inventory of major sports events headed to the state.
Among the events in 2026, Pennsylvania will host the baseball All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park, the World Cup at the Linc and the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club. The big year kicks off with the NFL draft in Pittsburgh next April.
"I worked my ass off to bring that to Pittsburgh, together with the Steelers," Shapiro said. "I'm excited for them."

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

30 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Meet the fan who placed third against pros in Fanatics Games

Tom Brady, the soccer player? The legendary NFL QB took his shot at penalty kicks as part of the Fanatics Games on Friday. (Credit: Getty Images) NEW YORK — For anyone who looked at the Fanatics Games' final leaderboard Sunday afternoon, there was only one question to ask: Who the hell is Matt Dennish? Fanatics Games final championship leaderboard: Tom Brady, 399.1 Justin Gaethje, 345.4 Matt Dennish, 325 Advertisement Dennish is now the answer to an age-old question: Can an average Joe beat the Pros? Matt Dennish more than held his own against the pros at the Fanatics Games. (Credit: OBB Media) Dennish is a 39-year-old high school teacher at his alma mater, Red Lion High School in York, Pennsylvania. He was one of 50 average fans who got the chance to compete against the pros for the top prize of $1 million, and he finished in third place to win a 2003-04 LeBron James rookie chrome refractor card, last valued at $250,000. Dennish later traded the card to Brady for $250,000 cash, plus a signed Brady card and jersey. Brady said he would give $5,000 to every fan who competed and donate the rest of his earnings to charity. Advertisement Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady added to his trophy case by taking home the initial Fanatics Games title and the $1 million prize. UFC fighter Justin Gaethje placed second and won a 2025 Ferrari 296 GTB. Six of the top 10 finishers were average fans. Dennish was clearly one of the best athletes in the competition. He stands 6-foot-6, was a standout cross-country and track runner and a basketball player in high school. He ran a 4:08 mile his freshman year at East Carolina, and he said his recent accomplishments included hitting a half-court shot at a Philadelphia 76ers game and working himself down to a two handicap on the golf course. Advertisement Dennish beat out such pros as Kevin Durant, Eli Manning, Dwight Howard, Rob Gronkowski, Denny Hamlin, Russell Wilson, C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young and Julian Edelman. Contestants were scored in eight contests, and the lowest two numbers were dropped. Dennish came into Friday's competition most nervous about the WWE Superstar entrance since he isn't a fan of wrestling. "A friend who is a fan convinced me to do Joe Hendry," Dennish told cllct. "I got a belt that our high school women's wrestling team bought and took off my shirt." Dennish got 70 total points in the WWE event, good for 10th-best score of the day. The MLB pitching accuracy was next. Contestants were given six pitches to score as many points as they can by hitting targets. The top and bottom corners were worth five points. The middle strike zone was one, and all the rest were three. Dennish shined, hitting four five-pointers, a three and a one. No one did better. Next he hit the NHL washer-dryer puck shooting contest, an area he knew would be difficult. He's not a hockey guy. Given 12 shots, he failed to knock in one, only lifting the puck successfully once. Advertisement In the NFL QB skills, Dennish was impressive. He went 3-for-5 in the 10-yard toss and the 20-yard toss and missed the golden ball, a 30-yard toss, by a foot or two. The top three best contestants in this skill were not surprisingly: 1. Stroud, 2. Brady and 3 (tie). Russell Wilson and Eli Manning. Dennish came in a respectable 11th. Dennish also finished 11th overall in the UFC striking challenge, hitting the punching bag for a total of 75.5 points. The FIFA goal-scoring was a strategy game for Dennish. He hit six out of eight in the bottom corners for five points each, but then got greedy by trying the top corners for 10 points and missed them all. He came in sixth. Streamer Adin Ross finished with Friday's best score. Advertisement In the last event, the Dick's closest-to-the-pin golf contest, Dennish knew he would be among the best. And he was right. "It's basically all I do these days," he said. The challenge? The contestants had five chances to get the ball on the green at a 105-yard par-3 hole, simulated from Oakmont Country Club, the site of last week's U.S. Open. One point for the green, two points for within 15 yards. Dennish came away with a respectable four points, placing three on the green and one within 15 feet. Brady finished first, and Dennish was fourth, one spot ahead of Manning. After competing, Dennish sat around eating some pizza and reloading the scores. Before he headed home on his train back to Pennsylvania, he saw he was in third place behind Brady and just ahead of Manning. Advertisement Although he dropped to third Sunday after Gaethje passed him, Dennish managed to hold onto the third spot and finish on the podium. Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.

Fox Sports

42 minutes ago

• Fox Sports

Game 7 memories from stars and celebs: Kobe Bryant stands out

Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night had a number of sports celebrities — from outside the basketball world, even — thinking of one player. Kobe Bryant. Bryant played in only one Game 7 of a finals, that coming in 2010, but for plenty in the sports world his 23-point, 15-rebound effort that led the Los Angeles Lakers to an 83-79 win over the Boston Celtics for his fifth and final championship still stands out as the quintessential moment from ultimate games. The NBA asked celebrities and star athletes what Game 7 makes them think of, and some of the responses got right to the point. 'Kobe,' soccer legend David Beckham said. 'What do I think?? I think Lakers 2010 — Pau (Gasol) and Kobe," tennis star Carlos Alcaraz said. Another tennis great, Novak Djokovic, said he thought of Lakers-Celtics in 2010 and the Cleveland-Golden State finale where LeBron James and Kyrie Irving came up big late for the Cavaliers in 2016. 'I'm thinking about electric atmosphere on the stands, no one is seated for the whole game,' Djokovic said. 'I'm thinking about Kobe and Gasol stellar performance in Game 7 of 2010 Lakers-Celtics and I'm thinking about LeBron's block and Irving's 3 pointer to seal the deal for Cavs vs Warriors Game 7 in 2016 thriller.' Cavs-Warriors 2016 another memory Part of the lore of the Cleveland-Golden State finale in 2016 wasn't just James getting a chase-down block against the Warriors' Andre Iguodala in the final moments. It was also ABC announcer Mike Breen's description of the call. Tennis player Ben Shelton and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua both remembered Breen's line perfectly: 'Blocked by James,' they both responded. Other quotes A selection of other responses collected by the NBA: 'Where legends are born.' — tennis' Frances Tiafoe. 'This is basketball, the game that everybody wants to watch. Can't wait !!!!!!!' — soccer star Kylian Mbappé. ''All eyes.' It's my stage.' — Colorado football coach and former NFL and MLB star Deion Sanders. 'GOAT TIME.' — NFL legend Jerry Rice. 'When I hear the words Game 7, I automatically think of the epic and legendary 3-pointer that Ray Allen made in Game 6 to force Game 7, where my Miami Heat team went on to win the NBA Finals championship.' — rapper Flo Rida. 'It's About to Go Down!!! Who will become legend? MJ, Kobe, Bron ... who's next?' — Cedric the Entertainer. 'Control what you can control mentality! I just wanted to make sure I did all the little things for my team.' — Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade. 'Everything you ever worked on and worked for is all in this one moment. Take it play by play ... leave it all on the court.' — former Heat guard Mario Chalmers. 'Play into the emotion. Don't expect fair. Expect the unimaginable.' — Cleveland's Iman Shumpert, part of the 2016 Cavs win. ___ AP NBA: recommended

USA Today

an hour ago

• USA Today

Former Colorado football star Travis Hunter signs record rookie deal with Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars officially signed No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter Sunday evening after a few months of negotiations. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner and former Colorado football star signed a groundbreaking four-year, $46.65 million rookie deal, marking a unique moment for NFL rookie contracts. Hunter will receive his $30.57 million signing bonus entirely upfront, making him the first non-quarterback not drafted first overall to be given that pay structure, as noted by ESPN's Adam Schefter. In a clever nod to Hunter's elite two-way abilities, the Jaguars announced the signing with dual posts on social media, one introducing him as a wide receiver, the other as a defensive back. Throughout offseason practices, Hunter has been splitting reps between position groups, showcasing the versatility that made him the Heisman Trophy winner. Hunter's college resume speaks for itself. In his final season at Colorado, he caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns on offense, while on defense, he recorded 35 tackles, four interceptions and a forced fumble. The contract sets an NFL precedent that perhaps leads to more two-way players in the future. As Schefter mentions, historically, quarterbacks and top overall picks have been the players to receive full signing bonuses upfront. Hunter's deal challenges that trend, paving the way for generational talents to receive more money upfront. As Jaguars' training camp nears, all eyes will be on how Jacksonville's coaching staff manages Hunter's reps. Will he play full-time both ways as he did at Colorado, or play sparingly at one position and full-time at the other? One thing is clear after the rookie signed his deal today: the Jaguars are compensating their star like he is two separate players. Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads, and Instagram. Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.