A proposed citywide human-capital institution converting community benefits into education, enterprise, creative careers, athletic opportunity and lasting ownership.
The proposed new Philadelphia arena presents a chance to build something more lasting than a single development project: pathways to academic achievement, paid work, enterprise formation and community wealth creation.
Comcast Spectacor and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment announced a joint arena venture in 2025, and revealed initial plans for a South Philadelphia arena targeted to open in 2030. The former Center City $60 million agreement should not be understood as money currently allocated or automatically transferred to this initiative.
This website is an independently developed concept for stakeholder discussion. Neither the City, Comcast, HBSE nor any prospective partner has endorsed it.
Official September 2026 arena announcement ↗Business Institute for Continuing Education in Professional Sports. A proposed progression from financial literacy and negotiation to applied AI, investing, entrepreneurship and leadership for Philadelphia high-school students.
See the B.I.C.E.P.S. story ↗Video production, editing, artificial intelligence and media-business learning, with proposed rotating masterclasses from Brett Langefels and practical AI training through Strivers Row Media, Inc.; pathways toward paid internships and portfolio-quality work.
The proposed AI curriculum covers responsible generative AI, prompt engineering, automation, digital literacy, AI-assisted editing and entrepreneurial applications. Comcast/NBCUniversal and Penn/Annenberg involvement is proposed, not agreed.
World-class talent development in golf, boxing and tennis combined with educational achievement, business mentorship and professional pathways.
Explore Cobbs Creek ↗Fashion, footwear, fabric, prototyping, brand ownership, licensing and business incubation under AMIAT co-founders Leland Hardy and Tamil Robinson.
Discover the institute ↗Entrepreneurial education, technical support and transparent contracting-readiness programs for underserved neighborhood businesses.
Entrepreneurship pathways connected to grocery operations, distribution, retail technology and affordable food access—aligned with the public debate around food security.
Independent governance, youth safeguards, audits and public reporting focused on completion, placements, ownership, contract dollars and business formation.
From first prompt to first product. From digital literacy to digital ownership.
Drawing on the AI automation, marketing and media expertise of Strivers Row Media, Inc., the initiative proposes age-appropriate, hands-on AI education for Philadelphia students.
Students would learn to use artificial intelligence thoughtfully and creatively—not only to complete assignments, but to solve neighborhood problems, build prototypes, make films, develop small businesses and qualify for emerging careers.
Proposed instruction would include human supervision, privacy safeguards, bias awareness, academic integrity and accessibility. School-district participation remains subject to agreement.
How models work, verification, bias, privacy, safety, copyright and responsible use.
Storyboards, design exploration, video workflows, editing, writing and multimedia storytelling.
No-code workflows, research support, customer-service prototypes and entrepreneurial problem-solving.
Portfolios, mentors, project demonstrations, internships and prototypes with community value.
Leland Hardy's career includes advising the Williams family, working closely with Muhammad Ali and helping professional athletes navigate the business of sport. His supplied archive documents this experience and his work creating B.I.C.E.P.S.
The proposed Champions Lab would complement Philadelphia's existing athletic and educational infrastructure, including Cobbs Creek's golf-and-education campus—without implying an existing agreement with those institutions.
The golf pillar should also highlight that, along with Michael Jordan and Vista Equity Partners Founder & CEO Robert F. Smith, Leland Hardy is a fellow Founding Member of The Golf Club at Foster's Farm, an ultra-luxury private golf community born from a small subsistence farm acquired by the Foster family just after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Over the ensuing 163 years, the Foster family assembled approximately 1,200 contiguous acres to create the property that exists today.
Under the proposal, Philadelphia youth would rotate to Foster's Farm not only to train toward world-class golf performance, but also to study the business of golf under the B.I.C.E.P.S. umbrella—from hospitality and operations to sponsorship, branding, events and ownership.
Explore Foster's Farm ↗
The AMIAT Philadelphia Institute of Fashion, Design & Entrepreneurship would identify outstanding Philadelphia design talent and help turn it into commercial enterprise—through creative instruction, mentoring, intellectual property, manufacturing, licensing and capital-readiness.
Fashion designer and creative leader associated with the Reebok Allen Iverson I-3 Collection. Co-founder Leland Hardy personally confirms Robinson's sole design authorship of the collection; this sole-credit claim is attributed to that firsthand account.
Robinson's fashion and design legacy includes the Tamil Robinson Award at the Fashion Institute of Technology, represented in the supplied archival imagery. Annual award continuity and exclusive historical superlatives remain subject to verification.
Prospective industry outreach: Fanatics · Mitchell & Ness · Urban Outfitters (URBN). Partnerships have not been established.
Historical images and video references from the supplied AMIAT materials illustrate the founders' creative-world associations. Images and underlying audiovisual works require appropriate use permissions before broad public promotion.
Watch Leland Hardy's Reebok Money commercial ↗
A Central High School alumnus and Wharton/Lauder graduate, Hardy has worked across global sports, business education, media, fashion and civic initiatives. His source dossier traces his relationships with Muhammad Ali, the Williams family and other athletic and entertainment figures.
His proposal for Philadelphia is to use those cross-sector relationships to create measurable educational and entrepreneurial opportunities for local students and founders. Any executive appointment would be subject to independent governance, diligence and contracting.
A veteran designer whose career spans apparel and sportswear, Robinson would lead the proposed institute's creative curriculum, mentorship and emerging-brand development. The institute pairs design skills with business ownership, licensing and entrepreneurship.
Hardy's supplied history includes contributing to the tribute and Philadelphia street designation honoring 1948 Olympic medalist Herbert P. Douglas Jr.; a Stevie Wonder birthday tribute; Holocaust-remembrance advocacy; and dialogue with original Freedom Riders and Jewish community leaders.
Stevie Wonder centennial-call video ↗Herb Douglas celebration coverage ↗City Council Resolution 220610 ↗
Figures below are planning illustrations—not existing appropriations, contracts or commitments.
| Program pillar | $30 million scenario | $60 million scenario |
|---|---|---|
| B.I.C.E.P.S. and schools | $9.0M | $18.0M |
| Creative media, AI education and internships | $4.0M | $8.0M |
| Champions Lab | $5.0M | $10.0M |
| AMIAT Institute | $2.4M | $4.8M |
| Minority enterprise and procurement | $5.1M | $10.2M |
| Food security / neighborhood enterprise | $3.0M | $6.0M |
| Measurement / administration | $1.5M | $3.0M |
| Total | $30.0M | $60.0M |
Proposed governance includes independent oversight, transparent audits, open contracting, protected student information, conflict-of-interest review and accessible community performance reports.
Community listening, institutional diligence, formal governance architecture and partnership outreach.
Launch pilots in high-school business education, responsible AI instruction, creative media and design entrepreneurship.
Paid experiences, AI and creative project showcases, student portfolios and first independent outcome reports.
Scale based on student completion, placements, enterprises formed, ownership retained and contracting outcomes.
Historical claims about the founders are drawn in part from founder-provided materials. Sole-authorship, exclusive superlatives and partnership statements are attributed or explicitly identified as proposed where independent substantiation is incomplete.
Let's discuss a governance-led feasibility engagement and what meaningful, lasting community benefits could become.
Leland Hardy · Strivers Row Media, Inc.
Leland.Hardy@striversrowmedia.com · (917) 912-0603
Sherri ShepherdWatch referenced video ↗
Ice-T and familyWatch referenced video ↗
Jay-ZWatch referenced video ↗
P!nk and Leland HardyView archival photograph ↗