Ed Snider
Encyclopedia
Edward M. Snider is the American Chairman of Comcast Spectacor, a Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment company that owns the Philadelphia Flyers
of the NHL
, the Wells Fargo Center, the Spectrum, the regional sports network Comcast SportsNet
and Global Spectrum, an international facilities management company. He formerly owned the Philadelphia 76ers
of the NBA.
and earned his bachelor's degree. He would become a partner in Edge Ltd., a record company. When in financial trouble, Jerry Wolman helped him out.
After selling the company, Snider joined Jerry Wolman
(builder) and his brother-in-law Earl Foreman
(attorney) to buy the Philadelphia Eagles
in 1964
. He was given a 7 percent stake in the team, and served as vice president and treasurer.
Upon learning that the NHL was planning to expand, Snider made plans for a new arena—the Spectrum--to house both a hockey team and the 76ers. On February 8, 1966, the NHL awarded Philadelphia a conditional franchise, one which would eventually be named the Philadelphia Flyers
and start playing in 1967. Snider assumed control of the Spectrum in 1971 taking over as Chairman of the Board. In 1974 Snider created Spectacor as a holding company for the Flyers and the Spectrum. Flyers became first NHL expansion team to win the Stanley Cup in 1974, and to repeat as champions in 1975.
Spectacor would found or acquire several businesses under his direction, most notably a regional premium cable channel, PRISM, and the first all-sports radio station, WIP. Seeing that a new arena would keep the Flyers competitive with the rest of the league, Snider began planning for what would become the CoreStates Center (now the Wells Fargo Center) in 1988.
Prior to the Wells Fargo Center's opening in 1996, he sold a 66% stake in Spectacor to Philadelphia-based Comcast
, creating Comcast Spectacor. However, Snider remained chairman of the venture, retaining a 34% interest. Soon after, Comcast Spectacor along with the Philadelphia Phillies
created Comcast SportsNet
in 1996. The company also bought the 76ers, who had been Snider's tenants since 1971. Comcast Spectacor also won an expansion franchise in the AHL, the Phantoms.
In a 1999 Philadelphia Daily News
poll, Snider was selected as the city’s greatest sports mover and shaker, beating out legends such as Connie Mack
, Sonny Hill
, Bert Bell
, and Roger Penske
.
In 2005, Snider became a prominent investor in a Foxwoods slots casino proposed for the waterfront in Philadelphia. In September 2008, facing massive opposition at the originally intended site, backers for the slots casino decided to seek a new location in the Center City area, next to Philadelphia's Chinatown community.
Ed Snider is the Executive Producer of the film Atlas Shrugged: Part I. In an interview published in the Philadelphia Metro newspaper on April 26, 2011, Snider was quoted as saying "They tried to make this film for 50 years...Hollywood did not want to make this movie because it did not adhere to its liberal agenda."
, which was established by the philosopher Leonard Peikoff
to promote the advancement of Objectivism. In 1990, after the Peikoff-Kelley split (see Objectivist Movement
), Snider became a backer of the rival organization now known as The Atlas Society
.
In 2005, Snider created the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation to provide a means to reach inner-city children in the Philadelphia area and provide them with the opportunity to learn to play hockey. Hockey, however, is only the “hook” -– the program promises to teach the children necessary life skills, and provides them with educational assistance that furthers their classroom abilities.
from 1983 to 1994 and President of Spectacor, Inc. from 1987 to 1994.
Snider has been married three times. Snider divorced his first wife, Myrna to marry his second wife, Martha.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE7DC133BF932A35751C1A967958260 Snider later divorced Martha and married his third wife, Christine.http://www.tinangel.com/10th/10th_scrap2.html Snider has divorced from his third wife, Christine Decroix Snider.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
of the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
, the Wells Fargo Center, the Spectrum, the regional sports network Comcast SportsNet
Comcast SportsNet
Comcast SportsNet is a group of regional sports networks in the United States primarily owned by the Comcast cable television company....
and Global Spectrum, an international facilities management company. He formerly owned the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
of the NBA.
Business career
Snider, the son of a successful grocery-store chain owner, attended the University of MarylandUniversity of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
and earned his bachelor's degree. He would become a partner in Edge Ltd., a record company. When in financial trouble, Jerry Wolman helped him out.
After selling the company, Snider joined Jerry Wolman
Jerry Wolman
Jerry Wolman is a former Washington, D.C. developer and the former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles football team of the National Football League. Wolman bought the Eagles franchise in 1963 from the "Happy Hundred," a group of investors that owned the team from 1949–1963, for a sale price of...
(builder) and his brother-in-law Earl Foreman
Earl Foreman
Earl Foreman was an American lawyer and sports executive.Foreman practiced law in the District of Columbia. He was a minority owner of the Baltimore Bullets franchise in the National Basketball Association and also at one time owned an interest in the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football...
(attorney) to buy the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1964
1964 in sports
1964 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Men's Olympic Gold Medal:** Downhill: Egon Zimmermann, Austria** Slalom: Josef Stiegler, Austria** Giant Slalom: François Bonlieu, France* Women's Olympic Gold Medal:...
. He was given a 7 percent stake in the team, and served as vice president and treasurer.
Upon learning that the NHL was planning to expand, Snider made plans for a new arena—the Spectrum--to house both a hockey team and the 76ers. On February 8, 1966, the NHL awarded Philadelphia a conditional franchise, one which would eventually be named the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
and start playing in 1967. Snider assumed control of the Spectrum in 1971 taking over as Chairman of the Board. In 1974 Snider created Spectacor as a holding company for the Flyers and the Spectrum. Flyers became first NHL expansion team to win the Stanley Cup in 1974, and to repeat as champions in 1975.
Spectacor would found or acquire several businesses under his direction, most notably a regional premium cable channel, PRISM, and the first all-sports radio station, WIP. Seeing that a new arena would keep the Flyers competitive with the rest of the league, Snider began planning for what would become the CoreStates Center (now the Wells Fargo Center) in 1988.
Prior to the Wells Fargo Center's opening in 1996, he sold a 66% stake in Spectacor to Philadelphia-based Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
, creating Comcast Spectacor. However, Snider remained chairman of the venture, retaining a 34% interest. Soon after, Comcast Spectacor along with the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
created Comcast SportsNet
Comcast SportsNet
Comcast SportsNet is a group of regional sports networks in the United States primarily owned by the Comcast cable television company....
in 1996. The company also bought the 76ers, who had been Snider's tenants since 1971. Comcast Spectacor also won an expansion franchise in the AHL, the Phantoms.
In a 1999 Philadelphia Daily News
Philadelphia Daily News
The Philadelphia Daily News is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The newspaper is owned by Philadelphia Media Holdings which also owns Philadelphia's other major newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Daily News began publishing on March 31, 1925, under...
poll, Snider was selected as the city’s greatest sports mover and shaker, beating out legends such as Connie Mack
Connie Mack (baseball)
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. , better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins , losses , and games managed , with his victory total being almost 1,000 more...
, Sonny Hill
Sonny Hill
William Randolph "Sonny" Hill is a former basketball player and announcer. He is a member of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, and current sports radio personality for WIP-AM 610 in Philadelphia. He also serves as an executive advisor for the Philadelphia 76ers. He is known as Mr...
, Bert Bell
Bert Bell
De Benneville "Bert" Bell was the National Football League commissioner from 1946 until his death in 1959. As commissioner, he helped chart a path for the NFL to facilitate its rise in becoming the most popular sports attraction in the United States...
, and Roger Penske
Roger Penske
Roger S. Penske is the owner of the automobile racing team Penske Racing, the Penske Corporation, and other automotive related businesses. A winning racer in the late 1950s, Penske was named 1961's Sports Car Club of America Driver of the Year by Sports Illustrated...
.
In 2005, Snider became a prominent investor in a Foxwoods slots casino proposed for the waterfront in Philadelphia. In September 2008, facing massive opposition at the originally intended site, backers for the slots casino decided to seek a new location in the Center City area, next to Philadelphia's Chinatown community.
Ed Snider is the Executive Producer of the film Atlas Shrugged: Part I. In an interview published in the Philadelphia Metro newspaper on April 26, 2011, Snider was quoted as saying "They tried to make this film for 50 years...Hollywood did not want to make this movie because it did not adhere to its liberal agenda."
Nonprofit organizations
In 1985, Snider was one of the founding contributors of the Ayn Rand InstituteAyn Rand Institute
The Ayn Rand Institute: The Center for the Advancement of Objectivism is a 501 nonprofit think tank in Irvine, California that promotes Ayn Rand's philosophy, called Objectivism. It was established in 1985, three years after Rand's death, by Leonard Peikoff, Rand's legal heir...
, which was established by the philosopher Leonard Peikoff
Leonard Peikoff
Leonard S. Peikoff is a Canadian-American philosopher. He is an author, a leading advocate of Objectivism and the founder of the Ayn Rand Institute. A former professor of philosophy, he was designated by the novelist Ayn Rand as heir to her estate...
to promote the advancement of Objectivism. In 1990, after the Peikoff-Kelley split (see Objectivist Movement
Objectivist movement
The Objectivist movement is a movement to study and advance the philosophy of Objectivism. It was founded by novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand. The movement began informally in the 1950s and consisted of students who were brought together by their mutual interest in Rand’s novel, The Fountainhead...
), Snider became a backer of the rival organization now known as The Atlas Society
The Atlas Society
The Atlas Society — of which The Objectivist Center is a part — is a research and advocacy organization promoting "a culture that affirms the core Objectivist values of reason, individualism, freedom, and achievement." It is part of the Objectivist movement that split off from the Ayn Rand...
.
In 2005, Snider created the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation to provide a means to reach inner-city children in the Philadelphia area and provide them with the opportunity to learn to play hockey. Hockey, however, is only the “hook” -– the program promises to teach the children necessary life skills, and provides them with educational assistance that furthers their classroom abilities.
Family
Snider's children include Craig, Jay, Lindy, Tina, Sarena and Samuel. Snider also has 15 grandchildren. His son Jay Snider served as President of the Philadelphia FlyersPhiladelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
from 1983 to 1994 and President of Spectacor, Inc. from 1987 to 1994.
Snider has been married three times. Snider divorced his first wife, Myrna to marry his second wife, Martha.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE7DC133BF932A35751C1A967958260 Snider later divorced Martha and married his third wife, Christine.http://www.tinangel.com/10th/10th_scrap2.html Snider has divorced from his third wife, Christine Decroix Snider.