Comcast Spectacor Charities, which does business as Flyers Wives Fight for Lives, is the corporate charity of Comcast Spectacor, a division of Comcast associated with the Philadelphia Flyers National Hockey League franchise. It principally supports major medical charities like the American Diabetes Association and American Cancer Society and youth hockey-related nonprofits like the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. ¹

Background

In 1976 entertainment executive Ed Snider founded Spectacor as a holding company for the National Hockey League team the Philadelphia Flyers and the Spectrum, the home arena of the Flyers. In 1996, Comcast purchased 66 percent of Spectacor and renamed the company Comcast Spectacor, with Snider remaining as chairman of the board. ² Comcast subsequently bought an additional 10 percent of the company. In 2016, after Snider’s death, Comcast purchased the remaining 28 percent of Comcast Spectacor it did not own and made the company a division of Comcast. ³

Charitable Work

After the merger, Comcast Spectacor Charities remains an independent organization whose grants largely go to organizations supporting hockey and Philadelphia-area charities. Its largest grants in 2018 were to Ed Snider Youth Hockey Alliance ($300,000), Wistar Institute ($26,000) and four $25,000 grants to Liberty USO, Michael’s Way, Philadelphia Futures, and US Warriors Ice Hockey. ⁴

1. Comcast Spectacor Charities, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018, Schedule I https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/232513233/202011439349300311/IRS990ScheduleI
2. Richard Sandomir, “Another Media Concern Dashes Into Professional Sports,” New York Times, March 20, 1996.
3. “Comcast Corporation To Acquire Ed Snider’s Stake in Comcast Spectacor,” press release from Comcast Corporation, September 22, 2016.
4. Comcast Spectacor Charities, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018, Schedule I https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/232513233/202011439349300311/IRS990ScheduleI