While FanDuel paying $80,000 to help shuttle thousands of sports fans to the Philadelphia Eagles’ NFL opener might have seemed like a good marketing move, the sportsbook’s involvement underlined a public transit issue that could spell trouble when the US hosts the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
FanDuel stepped in to restore the Broad Street Line that the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) was forced to shutter because of a funding cut.
SEPTA took to X thanking a “proud to collaborate” FanDuel for giving 19,805 Eagles fans a ride home:
SEPTA is the United States’ fifth-largest transit agency, plus it operates in a city scheduled to host six World Cup matches next summer. According to CNN, the approximately 700,000 commuters that ride SEPTA daily “have endured longer wait times, more crowded rail and bus lines, and other difficulties for weeks.”
In addition to Philly, transportation agencies in Chicago, Rhode Island, and World Cup venue San Francisco are also facing severe funding issues.
According to transit expert Yonah Freemark, FanDuel’s last-minute Eagles transport save “is a sign of how transit operators must scramble for funding.” Freemark said such agencies were underfunded across much of the US and, as a result, “often seek out unconventional revenue sources to help cover their gaps.”
Freemark added that FanDuel’s intervention shows how the US treats transit differently than other public services.
“We don’t ask corporate sponsors to pay for police or fire services.”
