The Wells Fargo Center has "quietly beefed up its sign policy to include a ban on political materials amid ongoing tension between the NBA and China over support for the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong," according to Rob Tornoe of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. Fans are "allowed to bring signs, banners, posters, and flags into the arena, but on Wednesday, the policy was amended to ban content that staff at the center deems 'political, ideological, or commercial in nature.'" The new policy, enacted before that night's game against the Celtics, also "now prohibits fans from hanging or taping signs over any part of the building, and bans the construction or display of any material that obstructs or interrupts the experience for other fans or guests." A spokesperson for the venue said that the policy change was "part of regular updates that often happen at the beginning of a league season." The Sixers "deferred comment on the policy to the Wells Fargo Center." Philadelphia-based KYW-CBS' Alexandria Hoff initially reported that two fans were "ejected by the center Wednesday because they were wearing shirts supporting the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong," but Hoff "later deleted her tweet." A spokesperson for the arena said that "no fans were officially ejected from Wednesday's game for China-related attire" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 10/25).
