The year 2025 was sensational for Philadelphia sports fans. From Super Bowl glory to the announcement of a brand new professional sports team, what better time to look back on such a magical 12 months than right before we get ready to ring in the new year?
Back in March, the Sixers shut down Joel Embiid after ongoing concerns with his knee. At the time, the Sixers were clearly worse off without Embiid, and the news was disappointing for fans who maintained hopes of postseason basketball. But while this isn't exactly a stunning headline, the ramifications of the move might well be in years to come.
The 76ers are still figuring out how to maximize a roster that's split in two. The team with Joel at the center of attention, and the next generation with Tyrese Maxey leading the charge.
The new season has been bumpy to say the least. But there is a lot of hope on the shoulders of Maxey, rookie V.J Edgecombe, and the rising Quentin Grimes.
This wasn't the biggest story of the year, but it was one that forced Philadelphia to look inward as far as how to play without Embiid as the focal point of the team - a situation that has paved the way for Maxey to stake his claim to the throne, especially with Joel's continued injury setbacks, and potentially for the Sixers to shift into their next era.
The tenure of Torts as the Flyers' Head Coach will be debated for a long time. His way of doing things was refreshingly old school, but the team was never quite up to scratch, and some questionable coaching calls left fans bemused while the roster struggled on a weekly basis.
His firing paved the way for Rick Tocchet to take over, and while it's too early to judge, the Flyers sit third in the Metropolitan Division, a sizeable improvement from their bottom-feeding 2024 season.
Sure, you could argue that the goaltending situation improved and a trade for one Trevor Zegras certainly redirected the ship, but you could also argue that those dominoes wouldn't have fallen without the first.
A new era of Flyers hockey is upon us, and although it's early days, there are more than just a few glimmers of hope that this team is on the right path.
It might not be happening until 2030, but the City of Brotherly Love is finally getting a WNBA team to root for.
The league has grown at an exceptional rate, leaving many basketball fans pounding the table for a franchise to get behind. And in June this year, it was announced that a Philadelphia team is coming, co-owned by the Sixers ownership and Comcast.
But with the arrival now confirmed, the fun now begins. What will they be called? How will the jerseys look? What future superstars will hone their craft in this special City?
With 2026 now just a few days away, the good news is, there's technically only four years now until we begin to find those answers...
An underwhelming postseason exit left Phillies fans very disappointed after a regular season of promise was cut short. Making matters worse was the flurry of players set to hit the open market, leaving Dave Dombrowski with some tricky decisions to make.
Perhaps the most important of all was what to do with All-Star slugger Kyle Schwarber, who was coming off the best season of his career. But in December, fans got their answer. The veteran signed a five-year deal worth $150M to stay in Philadelphia.
From his 'Neighborhood Heroes' foundation to his exceptional 187 home runs donning the red and white pinstripes so far, it never really felt like Schwarber belonged anywhere else, and now fans can rest easy knowing he'll be playing in Philly for five more years.
Would any other headline really take this spot? The Philadelphia Eagles didn't just dominate the Chiefs, but arguably ended the dynasty, with KC falling apart as the following season progressed.
Whether it was the Smitty dagger, Jalen's glance at a TV in the hall that showed analysts picking KC to beat the Eagles, or Cooper DeJean's rookie heroics, the game was simply magical.
After suffering heartbreak at the hands of the Chiefs just two years beforehand, getting revenge in such fashion not only felt like a fairytale ending, but a much stronger beginning - that the torch had been passed.
An exciting young roster and more exceptional front office decisions pushed Philadelphia into a position where getting back to the big dance for the fourth time since 2017 wasn't just a hope, but almost an expectation.
