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Philly\u2019s jam-packed summer of sports has come to a close, but not before it ushered in the return of several events that hadn\u2019t made their way to the city in quite some time.<\/p>\n
From July\u2019s MLB All-Star Game<\/a> to August\u2019s UFC 330, and the return of the Philadelphia Cycling Classic, there was a great mix of events that came back for the first time in a long time, which then begs the question: What other Philly-centric events would it be great to have back? <\/p>\n In no particular order, here are five among the several sports staples. Some of these still could, some are gone forever, but all of them were authentically Philly while they were here.<\/p>\n Sonny Hill Community Basketball League<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t just that it was responsible for having some of the best players in the NBA to emerge from the league. It was that for over 50 years, the height of its popularity in Philly, the famed Sonny Hill Basketball League gave thousands of kids, those directly in the city and some from the Philadelphia area, an opportunity to stay off the streets, hone their hoops skills, and create a pathway toward a college education.<\/p>\n And for a rare few, it was their bridge to superstardom. But nothing stays on a high forever. At its end, Sonny Hill, the Naismith Hall of Famer and beloved radio jock \u2014 who can still be heard on early Sunday mornings on SportsRadio WIP (94.1-FM), where he\u2019s been since 1987 \u2014 ran out of steam trying to keep up with the rise of AAU basketball\u2019s popularity.<\/p>\n In 2015, writer DeGreco Wilson penned a piece on his blog, The Black Cager, which read<\/a>: The Sonny Hill League facilitated a broader \u201cPhiladelphia\u201d identity and solidarity among Philly ballers. The Sonny Hill League helped translate an \u201cI\u201d mentality into a \u201cwe\u201d mentality \u2026 [but it] has declined in significance. Philly\u2019s basketball community is poorer as a result.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dad Vail Regatta \u2026 on the Schuylkill River<\/p>\n It was the beautiful nuisance Philly just grew to accept. For close to 70 years, the Dad Vail Regatta took over Kelly Drive and a swath of the Schuylkill<\/a> River to welcome the best of college crew teams from across the country. <\/p>\n The event saw thousands descend upon the banks of the river to cheer on the racers and turn sections of Kelly Drive into full-blown tent parties over the course of the two-day annual spectacular. <\/p>\n But when the city decided to dredge a section of the river ahead of the event, race organizers scrambled to find a new venue and were pleased and thankful that Camden County<\/a> commissioners took it on in 2023. <\/p>\n The race is still going strong and is projected to return to Cooper River as organizers continue to be cagey with a never-say-never attitude about returning what was conceived as Philly\u2019s \u201cboat race weekend\u201d on the Schuylkill. <\/p>\n Army-Navy Game<\/p>\n Ninety, as in 9-0. That\u2019s how many times Philadelphia has hosted one of college football\u2019s most electric games: the annual Army-Navy Game, a showdown between the two service academies<\/a>. The pomp and pageantry that surrounds all of it is one of the best parts about this annual matchup, now a conference game in the American Conference. <\/p>\n But that hasn\u2019t been the case for quite some time, as the last Army-Navy football game played inside Lincoln Financial Field was in 2022, with Army beating Navy in double-overtime. <\/p>\n It\u2019s a game that saw more than two-thirds of its 126-year iteration played in Philly. But over the last few years, the event has traveled to a number of cities but is expected to return to Philly for the 91st time on Dec. 11, 2027<\/a>. <\/p>\n WCW wrestling inside the old Philadelphia Civic Center <\/p>\n While pro wrestling isn\u2019t exactly for everyone, it\u2019s cool to recall a time when there were steel-cage and barbed-wire matches inside the old Philadelphia Civic Center<\/a>. <\/p>\n