MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

Temple University’s attempts at football success have historically been futile. While the struggles have been well-documented, Temple’s football team is currently in the midst of a resurgence, culminating in a 2015-16 season that was arguably the best in the program’s history. With this triumph, a long-discussed plan to build a football stadium on the school’s North Philadelphia campus has resurfaced. The lease on Temple’s current home, Lincoln Financial Field, is soon set to expire, and the school feels the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, the stadium’s owner, is offering unrealistic new terms. Instead of negotiating, and riding on the momentum from the recent success, Temple is pushing plans for an on-campus football stadium to the fore, already approving $126 million for the construction and selecting architects to design the facility. However, the costs extend far beyond any price tag. The proposed plans have pitted the school against the city government and local community. According to proposals, not only would a football stadium be constructed, but existing facilities in that space would be relocated to areas that would further extend campus boundaries into neighboring communities. This has spurred community resistance, led by a group of students, faculty, and neighbors called the “Stadium Stompers.” For their part, key members of city government have vowed to vote with the community and use their “councilmanic prerogative,” if necessary. While the struggle is ongoing, it has roots in the 1990s when Temple built a basketball arena with redevelopment in mind. The issues brought about by Temple’s proposed on-campus football stadium provide insight, which this paper explores, into how academic capitalism utilizes athletics as a neoliberal Trojan horse to redevelop college campuses to better suit consumption; the role of athletics in urban redevelopment; and how power elites obfuscate the complexities of urban redevelopment when addressing the public.