The National Football League is kicking off its 2025 season on Thursday night with the Philadelphia Eagles, the defending Super Bowl champions, hosting the Dallas Cowboys. While fans are expected to pack Lincoln Financial Field to cheer on the Birds, there were also concerns that people would have a hard time getting to the stadium. However, Online sportsbook FanDuel stepped in at the 11th hour and paid $80,000 to restore a gameday express subway service and offer fans free rides home. SEPTA, the city’s public transportation provider, was forced to cut all its bus, metro and regional rail services by 45% percent amid a $213 million budget deficit. No public transportation agency should be in a position where a single corporate sponsor is the determining factor on whether or not a service is discounted.
It’s common for transit agencies to operate special services to quickly get sports fans and concert-goers to their events while reducing crowding for other riders going to other destinations. Despite being beneficial to everyone, SEPTA’s special services were among the first things cut to cover its budget shortfall. On football gamedays and other major events, the agency operated a non-stop service along its Broad Street Line from Center City to the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. The 260-acre multi-stadium site is home to nearly all of the city’s major sports teams, as well as where Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and other big music acts bring their concert tours.
FanDuel isn’t stopping SEPTA’s massive service cuts
FanDuel announced on Wednesday that it would fund the express service for the Eagles’ home opener. SEPTA told WCAU that $40,000 covered the base operations costs and the other $40,000 covered the free rides home from NRG Station. Yes, the complex’s station also has a corporate sponsor, Houston-based NRG Energy. While $40,000 shouldn’t be a huge sum for a transit agency, SEPTA would understandably spend the money on something else first if given the choice. The start of service cuts in August resulted in reduced operations on 88 routes system-wide and the elimination of 32 bus routes. Further reductions in August would impose a 9 pm curfew across much of its metro and regional rail lines. Public transit is a need on occasion, but it needs to be available every day.
It’s clear that people need public transit in Philadelphia, but no one outside the city wants to pay for it despite reaping the economic benefits. A Pennsylvania judge granted an injunction last week to halt upcoming service cuts, KYW-TV reports. An ongoing lawsuit against SEPTA alleges that its service reductions disproportionately harm minority and low-income riders. The suit also claims that the agency has millions in reserve funds that could be used. If that were the case, it wouldn’t address Pennsylvania legislators refusing to provide vital long-term funding to SEPTA. The agency estimates that its service cuts would result in a $11.4 billion loss in tax revenue.
Please be wary of sports gambling partnerships
Another side of SEPTA’s FanDuel sponsorship is how sports gambling has quickly entrenched itself in American society since the Supreme Court lifted a nationwide ban in 2018. Advertising for online sportsbooks is omnipresent in sports broadcasting and finding its way to the eyes of non-sports fans. Delta Air Lines announced a partnership with DraftKings in January. While gambling on flights is still illegal, Delta stated that the $19 billion gambling behemoth would help develop the gaming portfolio available on its seatback screens.
The torrent of revenue funding these sponsorships and partnerships is built on the losses of sportsbook users. While more reputable than the old bookie sitting at the back of the bar or barbershop, online sportsbooks are always open on your smartphone and take digital payments for wagers on almost any sporting event. Daily fantasy proponents claimed that it was a game of skill when the ban was being challenged, yet established companies today are banning users for being too successful. We need to be wary of the exposure that’s given to sports gambling and the harm it could cause.
