Flyers, Sixers Arena Has New Name And It Stinks, But I'll Probably Like It Eventually

PublishedMay 6, 2025 1:31 PM EDT•UpdatedMay 6, 2025 1:31 PM EDT

Change is hard, and I don't know that there's a bigger, more difficult-to-cope-with change in life than when the name of a team's arena or stadium changes.

Alright, maybe a couple are bigger, but I still find myself calling the Crypto.com Arena the Staples Center, and I can't seem to refer to Orlando's Kia Center without first calling it the Amway Center.

Now, I expect this to happen with news that the arena shared by the Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia 76ers will no longer be known as the Wells Fargo Center and is now — drum roll, please…

*Drum Roll*

Xfinity Mobile Arena.

…

Thanks. I hate it.

But who knows, maybe I'll grow to like it.

When I was a kid, it was known as the First Union Center, then it was the Wachovia Center, and then the Wells Fargo Center, and each time the name changed I remember thinking the same thing I'm thinking now, which is, "Dude, that name sucks… maybe, I'll get Wendy's for lunch today."

It's just a weird coincidence that every time the name changed, I was feeling Wendy's for lunch. I'll be honest, though, that thought pops into my head at least once a day.

But, after a couple of years, I grew to like the name, and that was especially true with Wells Fargo Center. It even had a great nickname: The Farg.

Had I known that the last time I was there back in the fall would be the last time I set foot in the building while it was known as The Farg, I might have chained myself to one of the signs.

Still, at some point, I'm sure I'll be bummed when Xfinity Mobile Arena goes the way of the dodo too, and it looks like that will happen with the arena itself.

According to NBC Sports Philadelphia, this naming rights deal runs through the 2030-31 NHL and NBA seasons, at which point both teams are set to move into a new arena built in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, which is where the Wells Fargo Center — I mean, Xfinity Mobile Arena — is located, as is the Phillies' Citizen Bank Park and Eagles' Lincoln Financial Field.