March Madness was the start of a year when Philadelphia can show why it's 'special'

PHILADELPHIA — The roar inside the South Philly arena during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament’s opening rounds was only the first chord in a year-long symphony the city is preparing for the nation’s 250th birthday. With nearly 60,000 fans pouring through the turnstiles over three sessions, college basketball served as the opening act for a sports slate that will include the PGA Championship at Aronimink in May, a World Cup group-stage doubleheader at Lincoln Financial Field in June, and baseball’s All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in July.

Phillies managing partner John Middleton, who flew home from spring training to catch the doubleheader, believes the confluence of marquee events offers Philadelphia a stage comparable to the 1976 Bicentennial, when the city simultaneously hosted MLB, NHL and NBA All-Star Games plus the men’s Final Four. “This is an opportunity for Philadelphia to step up and be recognized for its extraordinary role in the history of this country,” Middleton said. “I want the world to understand what makes it so special.”

The tournament weekend already flashed the city’s character: UCLA coach Mick Cronin had cheesesteaks from Dalessandro’s delivered to his team hotel, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni sat courtside, and Tennessee edged Virginia in a Sunday night thriller that kept the crowd on its feet. The energy carried into Monday, when attention shifted 15 miles west to Aronimink, where the massive merchandise tent now greets head golf professional Jeff Kiddie each morning. “It’s like, ‘All right, we’re here,’” Kiddie said. “To have one of golf’s four majors is an honor.”

The PGA Championship, last held at Aronimink in 1962, has not returned to the Philadelphia area since the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion. Organizers took encouragement from last spring’s Truist Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club, where tickets vanished and hospitality suites sold briskly. Volunteer registration for the PGA filled its 3,500 slots almost instantly. “Philly has shown its strength,” Kiddie said. “What an incredible year we’re having in Philadelphia with sports and the 250th celebration of the country.”

Middleton, who grew up in Havertown and remembers booing Reds players from the 600 Level at the 1976 MLB All-Star Game, will be at the center of the summer showcase when baseball’s brightest stars converge on Citizens Bank Park. He likens the anticipation to planning his daughter’s wedding: excitement laced with responsibility. “I’m going to really enjoy it,” he said, “and when I wake up the next morning, I’m going to say, ‘That was great, but I’m awfully glad it’s over.’”

Yet the larger goal, he insists, is reminding a national and global audience that modern democracy was born inside the city’s 18th-century meeting rooms. “Philadelphia is the birthplace of modern democracy,” Middleton said. “All these people came here 200-plus years ago and created a whole new way of governing a society. I want people to understand the incredibly important role Philadelphia played in all of that.”

By the time the final putt drops at Aronimink and the last All-Star firework fades over the Delaware River, city leaders hope visitors will leave with more than memories of buzzer-beaters and birdies. They want them to remember why, 250 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the rest of the country still looks to Philadelphia for the next chapter of the American story.