5 Things Philadelphia Sports Fans Can be Thankful for in 2023

We hope everyone reading this had a tremendous Thanksgiving as we start to head towards Christmas and New Year's.

Sports fans in Philly have been treated to some good times recently, and while there were no championships, there were some great moments and fun times.

As 2023 makes way for 2024, things seem to be looking up for the Flyers, the Sixers are fun, the Phillies took us on another wild ride and the Eagles have the best record in football.

Get our free mobile app

As Thanksgiving has come and gone, let’s count our sports blessings and discuss what we should be thankful for in Philly sports.

The Eagles’ surprise Super Bowl run, best record in the NFL, and Jalen Hurts emerges as MVP candidate

While the Eagles made the playoffs in Jalen Hurts first season as the full-time starter, he became an MVP candidate in his second season and helped lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl.

While the Eagles didn't win the Super Bowl, they found their franchise quarterback, currently have the best record in the NFL, and Hurts in the leading candidate for league MVP.

The Flyers front office changes

The Flyers named Danny Brière their new general manager and Keith Jones their new President of Hockey operations on May 11.

Since then, the vibe around the team has changed for the better, and the team seems to be moving in the right direction with a plan. It finally feels different around the Flyers since the team parted ways with former GM Chuck Fletcher.

Things are starting to look better on the ice.  As of this writing, the team is 10-8-1 with some young talent playing hard for coach John Tortorella.

The emergence of Maxey

The Sixers have moved on from Ben Simmons and James Harden and handed their backcourt to Tyrese Maxey and the 23-year-old has embraced the opportunity to be Joel Embiid's running mate.

The former 21st overall pick in the draft has flourished as the Sixers lead guard, becoming the sixth Sixer ever with 50+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists (Allen Iverson, Joel Embiid, Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, and Dana Barros) and joined Iverson as the only Sixers with 50+ points at 23 or younger.

Currently, he is averaging 26.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.1 assists, shooting 40.7% from three-point range.

The Phillies are back

After missing the playoffs from 2012-2021, the Phillies have been in the postseason for two seasons in a row and Citizens Bank Park is again the place to be.

Philadelphia finished sixth in MLB, averaging 38,157 fans per game, almost 10,000 more than the 28,459 in 2022, which ranked 16th in the league.

Much like 2008-2011, the ballpark is filled and Philadelphia has once again become a baseball town.

Now, the team needs to can get over the hump with Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Zack Wheeler, and Aaron Nola and win a World Series title.

Big 5 Classic

Philly is a basketball town and loves its college basketball.  On the first Saturday in December, we will get treated to the "Big 5 Classic", which will feature all six Philadelphia schools, including Drexel.

The event will be a treat for all college basketball fans:

Here is the new format (from The Athletic)

• Under the new format, the six schools — the traditional Big 5 teams of La Salle, Penn, Temple, Saint Joseph’s and Villanova, plus Drexel — will be split into two three-team pods.
• The pod teams will play each other in November, with the winners matching up based on their record in a tripleheader (a designated fifth place, third place and championship game, if you will) at the Wells Fargo Center on the first Saturday in December.