Desperate 76ers Push Free Tickets to Prevent Knicks Takeover

Sunday was a sad day for Philadelphia sports fans. Not only did the 76ers lose to the New York Knicks in a close game four of their first-round playoff series, the fan base in the Wells Fargo Center was predominantly dressed in Knickerbocker blue-and-orange. Thanks to the weekend matchup, the close commute down I-95, and ticket prices far cheaper than those at Madison Square Garden, Knicks fans showed up in droves, chanting “Fuck Embiid” inside the stadium. When opposing fans are trash-talking the Sixers’ star center in his own building, it tends to erode home-court advantage. “I’ve been here for ten years, kind of pisses me off,” said Joel Embiid.

Thanks to a heroic effort by 76ers’ guard Tyrese Maxey to steal a win in New York on Tuesday, the series is heading back to Philadelphia, where management has a plan. As a token of brotherly love, the team’s executives bought 2,000 tickets to distribute to Sixers fans for free. Unfortunately, the generous concept turned a little desperate in its execution:

This is the saddest sports moment I’ve ever seen https://t.co/8N333hKE3Y

— Dan Amira (@DanAmira) May 2, 2024

While some of the young fans in the video seemed genuinely thrilled to attend a playoff basketball game where the nosebleeds are going for $125, the man weakly chanting “Let’s go Sixers” after getting a lone ticket seems like he might opt to hawk the thing for a free dinner instead. Either way, it doesn’t stop the main factor sending Knicks fans down to Philly — the $500 cost to enter Madison Square Garden during the playoffs.