Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment

Summarize Timeline Fact Check

Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) was founded by Apollo Global Management co-founder Josh Harris and senior Blackstone executive David Blitzer on September 25, 2017.^[1] The pair previously led groups that bought the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association in 2011 and the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League and operating rights to Prudential Center in 2013. In 2016, the pair bought the esports organization Dignitas.^[2] In 2018, HBSE partnered with the San Francisco 49ers and Creative Artists Agency to establish Elevate Sports Venture, a consulting firm specializing on event marketing and ticketing.^[3]

In 2019, the company bought the esports organization Clutch Gaming for $30 million and merged them with Dignitas, forming a parent company, New Meta Entertainment, with investments from Fertitta Entertainment, Delaware North, and Steve Rifkind.^[2][4][5] HBSE assisted in the development of the Chase Fieldhouse, an arena and sports complex in Wilmington, Delaware, which opened as the 76ers Fieldhouse in 2019.^[6] In 2020, HBSE donated millions of dollars to local communities in Philadelphia and Newark in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[7][8] The same year, the company pledged $20 million to fight racial injustice.^[9][10] HBSE hired Tad Brown, former CEO of the Houston Rockets, for the same role in August 2021.^[11]

In 2022, president Hugh Weber left the company to explore other ventures.^[12] The same year, HBSE limited partner (LP) and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin sold his 10% stake to David Adelman to avoid a conflict of interest regarding Fanatics' growing business.^[13][14] The company pursued bids of the New York Mets and the Chelsea Football Club in the early 2020s before they were sold to other parties.^[15][16] HBSE bought a minority stake in Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) in 2023, with founder Joe Gibbs becoming a LP of the company as part of the partnership.^[17] HBSE was valued by CNBC at $14.6 billion in July 2025.^[18] The same year the company began managing non-NFL events at Northwest Stadium, home stadium of the NFL team Washington Commanders, which was acquired by Harris in 2023.^[19] HBSE had plans to build a new arena for the 76ers, 76 Place at Market East, which was set to open by 2031. They abandoned those plans in January 2025 and announced a partnership with Comcast Spectacor to build a new arena adjacent to the 76ers' current site on the South Philadelphia Sports Complex.^[20] In June 2025, HBSE was awarded a bid for a Philadelphia WNBA team to begin play in 2030.^[21] In October 2025, former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers was named company president. He had previously been working under Harris as an advisor with the Commanders since January 2024.^[22]