A proposed independent vehicle to deploy, multiply and measure the youth dividend of Philadelphia’s next South Philadelphia arena—through five programs, an integrated AI Academy and a lasting commitment to opportunity and ownership.
The arena opens in 2030. The Class of 2030 started ninth grade this fall. Let's build them something that lasts longer than a building.
The Comcast Spectacor–Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment South Philadelphia arena is an opportunity to make public commitments to youth education, entrepreneurship and neighborhood opportunity specific, funded and measurable.
A former Center City arena package included a $60 million community-benefits benchmark, but that abandoned agreement does not automatically fund this proposal. The $30 million and $60 million models below are independent illustrative funding scenarios.
CBA Philadelphia is proposed; no City, Comcast Spectacor, HBSE, school-district, university or other partnership is represented as approved.
Official September 2026 arena announcement ↗Arena figures above are project estimates cited in the source proposal, not CBA commitments.
Every initiative pairs real-world instruction with demonstrable outcomes. Artificial intelligence training is integrated across all five rather than counted as a sixth program.
Business Institute for Continuing Education in Professional Sports. A curriculum created by Hardy at Wharton that teaches money and ownership, contracts, negotiation, intellectual property, investing, media, leadership and careers across the sports economy.
Proposed rollout: 10 pilot district high schools in 2027; every district high school by 2029; 10,000 students annually by Year 5 (2031).
B.I.C.E.P.S. story ↗Golf, tennis and boxing talent identification coupled with tutoring, career guidance and B.I.C.E.P.S. sports-business education. Cobbs Creek and Foster's Farm are envisioned as different, complementary golf learning environments.
Goal: 500 athletes actively developing by Year 5 in the $60M scenario. Prospective venues and training relationships require agreement.
Explore the Champions Academy ↗Co-founders Leland Hardy and Tamil Robinson propose a Philadelphia pipeline from fashion and footwear discovery to textile design, prototypes, trademarks, licensing, financing and independent labels.
Potential industry introductions include Fanatics, Mitchell & Ness and URBN, none yet confirmed as institute partners.
Meet the AMIAT Institute ↗Video production and editing masterclasses guided by Brett Langefels, portfolio projects and proposed paid pathways into television, sports media and film production through future institutional partners.
Comcast/NBCUniversal and Penn Annenberg relationships for this initiative are proposed.
Discover the Media Lab ↗Proposed venture grants of $10,000–$50,000, scholarships, student-company incubation, bilingual access and a target that 50% of eligible vendor spending go to minority- and women-owned Philadelphia businesses.
The objective: Philadelphia-founded businesses that retain meaningful intellectual property and ownership.
Explore the fund ↗Real education programs depend on relationships among curriculum creators, school leadership and communities.
Apex Leadership Development Academy is a secondary-school leadership education program founded and directed by Paul E. Jones, Ed.D. It aims to develop ethical judgment, systems thinking, teamwork, communication and responsible civic action.
A Philadelphia connection: According to Leland Hardy's account of his educational work, he facilitated the introduction of Apex's leadership-development program to Tacony Academy Charter School, whose CEO is Naimah C. Wimberly. This is an example of bringing educational organizations into contact with Philadelphia school leadership.
For the proposed CBA initiative, Apex offers an instructive model for leadership education alongside B.I.C.E.P.S., responsible AI education and student entrepreneurship. Any future program expansion or school participation would require agreements with the relevant institutions.
Apex program details are sourced from its official website. Hardy's role in the Tacony introduction is founder-supplied and is not represented here as independently documented district-wide adoption; Tacony is a public charter school.
One AI Academy embedded across all five CBA Philadelphia programs.
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.
Proposed rollout: first modules in 10 pilot schools in 2027; expand toward every district high school by 2029; target 10,000 students annually alongside B.I.C.E.P.S. by Year 5.
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.
Inspired by Hardy's history advising the Williams family and his long relationship with Muhammad Ali, the proposed Champions Academy will combine elite coaching, academic tutoring and business education across golf, tennis and boxing.
The golf pathway would begin with Philadelphia's public-golf heritage at Cobbs Creek and expand through proposed off-site training experiences at The Golf Club at Foster's Farm in Virginia.
According to Hardy's account, he is a fellow Founding Member of Foster's Farm alongside Michael Jordan and Vista Equity Partners founder Robert F. Smith. The Foster family's 1,200-acre history traces to land acquired after Emancipation. Proposed Philadelphia student rotations would combine elite golf preparation with B.I.C.E.P.S. instruction in club operations, turf science, real estate, hospitality, events and membership finance.
Explore Foster's Farm ↗Foster’s Farm history and founding membership are based on founder-supplied information. Student rotations and Cobbs Creek cooperation are prospective.
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 ↗Philadelphia's young storytellers deserve access to the highest standards in the industry.
Brett Langefels, a four-time Sports Emmy-winning editor represented worldwide by Hardy, is proposed to lead rotating workshops in North, South, West and Northeast Philadelphia and Center City.
Students would develop edited films, sound design, storytelling and production portfolios, with prospective paid internships through Comcast/NBCUniversal and academic partnerships with Penn's Annenberg School. Student films could ultimately premiere at the new arena.
Named employers and academic institutions are prospective partners. Masterclasses, internships and arena screenings depend on formal agreements.
A benefit may be spent once. A locally owned business can compound its value for years.
Seed support for qualifying student- and graduate-founded enterprises, paired with mentoring, business-planning and ownership safeguards.
Support for graduates of B.I.C.E.P.S., Champions Academy, AMIAT Institute and Philadelphia Media Lab.
Target share of eligible CBA Philadelphia vendor spending allocated to minority- and women-owned Philadelphia firms, subject to lawful procurement requirements.
English- and Spanish-language programming where feasible, reflecting Hardy's bilingual background and Philadelphia's communities.
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 educational outreach also includes a founder-reported introduction of the Apex Leadership Development Academy program to Tacony Academy Charter School. Read the Apex case study ↗ 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.
Appointment, contracting and compensation would require the independent governance and conflict-of-interest procedures described below.
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 ↗
Both scenarios are proposals for negotiation, not current CBA proceeds, appropriations or contracts. Funding would be deployed over an illustrative 10-year horizon. The AI Academy is embedded within the five program budgets.
| Ten-year allocation | $30M foundational | $60M full |
|---|---|---|
| B.I.C.E.P.S. Philadelphia | $7.0M | $13.0M |
| Champions Academy | $7.5M | $15.0M |
| AMIAT Institute | $5.0M | $11.0M |
| Philadelphia Media Lab | $4.0M | $8.5M |
| Community Ownership Fund | $4.0M | $8.5M |
| Governance, audit and operations | $2.5M | $4.0M |
| TOTAL | $30.0M | $60.0M |
Capital allocations exactly follow the supplied October 23, 2026 CBA Philadelphia presentation. A 1:1 matching-capital ratio is a Year-5 fundraising target, not an existing commitment.
The following are targets for the $60 million scenario, not outcomes already achieved. Targets in the $30 million scenario would be scaled to available resources.
Targets from slide 23 of the supplied proposal. Measurement definitions and annual verification would be established during implementation.
CBA Philadelphia is proposed as a new independent, audited nonprofit that would seek federal 501(c)(3) recognition. It is not represented here as already incorporated or tax-exempt.
An independently governed board is proposed to include community and youth voices, public and development stakeholders and an independent finance chair, with appointments and legal structures negotiated before formation.
This structure is an offer for discussion and is not an existing agreement with any government body, developer or other organization.
Establish legal and governance workstreams; undertake community listening; develop the program scorecard.
Agree on pilot-school and venue arrangements; prepare B.I.C.E.P.S., Champions and Media Lab launches.
Advance prospective partners across media, fashion, education and sports; establish safeguards for students.
Publish an initial impact framework and propose a progress briefing for City and community stakeholders.
Milestones are a proposed implementation schedule. The 2029 all-schools milestone reconciles slides 11 and 25 of the supplied deck, assuming 2027 is Year 1.
This website follows the uploaded October 23, 2026 CBA Philadelphia proposal. Historic founder claims are drawn partly from materials supplied by Leland Hardy. Named institutional partnerships, venue rotations, nonprofit formation and all financial/outcome targets are proposed; endorsements and financing have not been secured.
A 30-day working session with the City, City Council, Comcast Spectacor and HBSE is proposed to explore scope, funding, governance and measurable youth outcomes. Submit your inquiry below.
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 ↗