Philadelphia Wings (National Lacrosse League) @ Xfinity Mobile Arena (Philadelphia, PA)

*This trip occurred on April 11, 2026.

At the end of my original post on the Philadelphia Wings, I wrote this:

"While I did enjoy the box lacrosse experience, there is the sad reality that these two Wings games may be the only NLL games I see live for a while: the Wings are rumored to be moving out soon (again), as there are questions involving ownership (who also own the Philadelphia Flyers and the arena) and their desire to keep the team running. Unfortunately, what would have been the next "closest" team (in Albany, NY) just moved to Canada, so I'm pretty sure there's going to be nothing closer than Rochester, NY soon (without crossing the border)..."

Thankfully, however, that won’t be completely true because

THIS is the last Wings game I'll get to go to!

First, let me clarify why I say that.

I alluded to it in the original post, but the city of Philadelphia is building a new arena for the Flyers and 76ers. As I understand it, this is basically a "peace gesture" to the Sixers, who wanted to build a new arena downtown that was highly controversial, as it would be disruptive to Philadelphia’s Chinatown neighborhood (similar to what happened in Washington DC with their current indoor arena).

As part of this new arena construction, the building will be owned by both the Flyers’ and the Sixers’ ownership groups - unlike the current arena, which is wholly owned by Comcast (who also own the Flyers and Wings). I believe it is HERE where one issue with the Wings arises: the city is getting a WNBA team with the arena, and my guess is that one of the owners (and or the arena’s operator, which will be third party) does not see four teams in one building working out very well - even if the WNBA’s schedule is at a different time than the other three. With the NLL far and away the least popular of the four leagues (at least in the United States), it looks like someone sees the Wings as the odd man out.

In addition, the NLL isn't exactly a big money maker, and despite being owned by the same company as the arena, the Wings probably didn't make that much money (assuming they weren't simply a loss leader for Comcast). Of course, it also didn't help that the product ON the field/floor wasn't great either: they've been languishing for a few years now, and in case you forgot: both games I went to last year were part of a LONG losing streak that saw the team's decent start evaporate into a(nother) lost season.

Due to these factors, uncertainty about the team's long term future has hanging in the air for a while, and with that uncertainty, I felt that a return to Wells Fargo Center to see the Wings again was in order. Unfortunately, I was unable to make said return...because the Wells Fargo Center was renamed last fall to Xfinity Mobile Arena. Of course, the building is still there as well as the team (for now), so I figured if I wanted to see the NLL again, I'd have to do it soon (similar to the Bridgeport Islanders, who recently announced that their move to Canada IS happening)¹.

My original plan was to go to the home opener back in December against the Colorado Mammoth (who I saw beat the Wings back in March 2025), as it was the only game this season with a Saturday 1 PM start time (THE key factor in which games I choose to go to). However, I had completely forgotten that I had a Christmas party planned for that evening, and between that and a few other things², I opted to try and choose another game.

The team's other afternoon games were all on Sundays, but most of them were 3 PM starts - something I could live with, but wasn't super happy about. After pivoting away from the December game, my intention was to see the Wings on February 22, but then I learned about Spice City FC and decided to check them out on that date, so I moved the Wings to March 8. However, the "Blizzard of 2026" ended up ending any plans I had for that day, and with Spice City's only remaining home dates being March 8 and, coincidentally, this weekend, I didn't want to wait for them, so I saw Spice City on March 8th instead. I shifted the Wings to March 29 against the Toronto Rock (partially due to it being a 1 PM game), but various schedule issues (which aren't really exciting enough for me to discuss here) ended up making me decide not to go (this is part of why I ended up at Rutgers)³.

BUT THEN...On the morning of March 30, 2026...

...the Wings announced they were ceasing operations "under the Comcast Spectacor portfolio" after this season. What that means going forward isn't 100% certain, but I'll talk about that later, because after I read their announcement, I decided to go and see a team say farewell to its city and fans (despite it being a 7 PM game an hour and a half away), and I think we should get into that first.

The End of the Road

As I alluded to earlier, the Wings haven't exactly been great in recent years, and this year is no exception (again, I saw them twice during a long losing streak last year). This year, the team sold HARD at the NLL's trade deadline - shipping off some of their more well-known players for what essentially boil down into futures (which kinda feels like the pre-Sacramento Oakland Athletics). They've also only won two games at home this season (and four games overall), but those two home wins were the two games I was most likely to see (i.e. the two 1 PM games).

Not much has changed here since my last visit just over a year ago, which makes sense with a new building on the way. However, one thing I forgot to mention about the arena during my last visit: from what I can glean, the team store is not open outside of events for ANY of its teams. I know that the store at Citizens Bank Park (home of the Phillies) has non-game hours (as I visited once), and I THINK that Lincoln Financial Field (home of the Eagles) does too (but am not certain), so bear that in mind (especially if you're looking for the last few Wings things - yes that was intentional). I'm not sure if this is an exception or a norm, as I've had weirdly mixed experiences with trying to check out team stores outside of events⁴.

Speaking of merch, I received an email a few days before the game indicating some CRAZY discounts on select items. As it turns out, those discounts ended up causing MERCH MADNESS - I arrived a bit over an hour before the game, and the line to pay was OUT THE DOOR. It also made trying to find items hard due to the sheer amount of people browsing (and the line), but I managed to snag what may have been the last jersey left with a sewn-on front logo (for only a quarter of the original price). Heck, the check out line was still long when I checked out the store midway through the first quarter - and most of the adult items were gone by then!

Demand for tickets was so great that the team did something they hadn't done in my time following them: open part of the upper deck. I ended up taking the opportunity to check out part of the upper concourse, and while it wasn't exactly "special" (outside of a reminder that the 76ers are a thing here), it was MUCH wider than Brooklyn's.

The game itself was more or less "run of the mill" for box lacrosse - though it did feature something I had never seen before in person: a Wings WIN. After the game, however, is when things got interesting.

The team and its fans kinda lingered around for a bit after the game appreciating one another. A "LET'S GO WINGS" chant broke out at one point, and the team threw giveaways into the crowd then took a final team photo. There was also apparently a "postgame party" at a nearby establishment, but I couldn't go since I live an hour and a half away (and had also taken the subway from downtown as the arena lots were too much for me).

So that's the story of the final Philadelphia Wings home game. However, that leaves a very BIG question left to be answered:

What happens next?

First, I should note that this game is TECHNICALLY not the end for the Wings, as they have one more game left to play. However, said game is in Vancouver and starts at 10 PM Eastern time, so it's hard to imagine too many fans tuning in (especially ones with young children). What happens after that game, however, is unknown.

Some fans are clamoring for local businesspersons to try and keep the team in Philly, but I feel like there's a big obstacle: Comcast. I mentioned that someone didn't see the Wings fitting in once the new arena was built, and appaprently...that someone may have been Comcast themselves. With that in mind, it's difficult to imagine too many local groups are willing to pay rent to someone who thinks your very existence is a burden (and I don't expect the current arena to stay up like the ol' Spectrum did for a while).

The NLL has said that they are seeking new ownership for the team, but the league's statement strongly implies that they're moving. From what I've read, however, it seems that the league would prefer the team stay somewhat close to Philadelphia (i.e. a "short" move). In that regard, two local cities have been suggested as potential new homes: Allentown, PA (which is getting a MASL team next season) and Trenton, NJ (which is getting an ECHL team next season). I feel there are advantages and disadvantages to both, but either would keep the team close to decent parts of its current fanbase (and would make people like me look a bit silly for getting so sentimental about the team). However, neither city has a big enough image to convince some online commentators that either is a good idea, as revenue could still be an issue (not to mention the NLL's prior struggles with the New York area).

If that doesn't happen, then the other possibility - and one that's actually been rumored for a while (as alluded to the first time I wrote about the Wings) - is a move to somewhere in Canada (or Minnesota, but more likely Canada). Box lacrosse as a whole sees MUCH more support up north, and outside of select markets, the NLL has struggled in the United States⁵. Therefore, moving the team to a market where there's more likely to be stronger support (i.e. tickets and merchandise sold) could be better for the team and league financially; the long standing rumor was Montreal, but Edmonton has apparently been keen on a return to the NLL since the Rush left for Saskatoon. On the other hand, however, the NLL markets itself as "the next Major League" - and it's hard to take that claim seriously with zero presence in the Northeastern United States (i.e. the biggest population center in North America) - especially since it's one of the few parts of the country where lacrosse is decently popular (even if that popularity is largely in field lacrosse).

There does, however, also exist the possibility that the team just folds. This one's reported as being far and away the least likely scenario, but going back to the team's statement...they don't seem optimistic. As mentioned earlier, the Wings announced they were ceasing operations "under the Comcast Spectacor portfolio" - but also wished the players well "as they pursue new opportunities throughout the league". This implies that the players will end up getting dispersed, which would mean a dispersal draft - a result of the team folding. Again, this is the LEAST likely scenario because it's not a good look for the NLL (see: Panther City Lacrosse Club), but it can't be ruled out (especially since we don't know what prospective buyers are being told by Comcast).

In any case, this is probably it for the NLL in Philly for now (and possibly ever) - though it's good to know that unlike the Winnipesaukee Muskrats, the team and its fans got a proper "final moment" together.

ON DECK

It's looking like I'm facing at least two hours on the road on Sunday - but I'm not sure in which direction I'm headed yet.

There is also the possibility of me going somewhere else before then, however - a place I've been to already, but have not talked about on this blog.