A record-breaking NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. The PGA Championship at Aronimink. A World Cup on home turf. A 250th Birthday Celebration for the ages. An unforgettable Midsummer Classic in Philadelphia.
And helping to power and pull it all off behind the scenes: Pennsylvania natural gas.
We’ve talked before about how natural gas shows up in the little things: the products, the warmth (or the AC), the everyday comforts many of us take for granted. This summer, we thought it was worth pulling back the curtain on something bigger: how essential, reliable, homegrown energy is helping Pennsylvania host the world.
April: A Record Crowd, Powered by Reliable Energy
Pittsburgh kicked things off in April, welcoming the NFL Draft to the Steel City for the first time since 1948.
Fans packed the North Shore and Point State Park for three days, and by the time the final pick was in, the event had set an all-time NFL Draft attendance record — roughly 805,000 people came through the gates, and many more to the region at large.
Moving that many people, powering that many stages, screens and broadcast trucks, and keeping Acrisure Stadium’s lights, concessions and hospitality suites running around the clock doesn’t happen without an abundant, dependable supply of electricity. Natural gas fuels more than 60% of Pennsylvania’s electricity generation — and it does it using only a small share of what the Commonwealth produces each year, leaving plenty in reserve for moments exactly like this one.
June and July: The World Comes to Philadelphia
While Pittsburgh was still riding its Draft high, Philadelphia was gearing up for its turn on the global stage. The FIFA World Cup brought six matches to Lincoln Financial Field, drawing supporters from across the globe into the city.
Hosting an international broadcast operation of that scale takes more than good weather. Stadium lighting, climate control, transit systems, food service and the massive temporary infrastructure built around Fan Fest at Lemon Hill all depend on power that has to be there when the cameras start rolling — no delays, no blackouts, no excuses. That’s the kind of reliability natural gas-fired generation is built to deliver.
America’s 250th: A Birthday Party Built to Last
It’s not just sports. This summer also marks America’s Semiquincentennial, with Philadelphia — the birthplace of the nation — serving as the epicenter of celebrations honoring 250 years of independence.
From fireworks and historical tours to concerts and civic gatherings drawing visitors from across the country, the Semiquincentennial has turned much of the Commonwealth into a stage. Powering that stage, lighting Independence Mall, and keeping millions of visitors fed, cooled and connected is one more job natural gas quietly handles in the background.
July 14: Baseball’s Midsummer Classic Comes Home
As if that weren’t enough, Citizens Bank Park hosted the MLB All-Star Game on July 14 — Philadelphia’s first time hosting the Midsummer Classic since 1996, and its fifth time overall. The Home Run Derby, the All-Star Futures Game, the MLB Draft and the Capital One All-Star Village were all hosted at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Tens of thousands of fans filled Citizens Bank Park alone, on top of everyone flowing through the Convention Center and the city’s hotels, restaurants and transit system all week long.
Every one of those venues, every broadcast, every concession stand slinging ballpark food, depends on the same thing: an energy grid that doesn’t blink. Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry helps make sure that it doesn’t.
More Than Power: The Products Behind the Games
It doesn’t stop at electricity, either. Natural gas and the natural gas liquids (NGLs) produced alongside it — ethane, propane, butane — are the building blocks for the plastics, synthetic fabrics and foams used in almost everything associated with these events: stadium seating, turf, jerseys, protective padding, water bottles, tents, signage and the phones fans use to capture it all. The same resource keeping the lights on is also, quite literally, woven into the fan experience.
A Summer Worth Remembering, and a Resource Worth Recognizing
From the North Shore of Pittsburgh to the sports complex in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has spent this “semiquintennial summer” showing the world what it can do. Behind the record crowds and the highlight-reel moments is a natural gas industry that continues doing what it does best: providing the affordable, reliable, homegrown energy that lets Pennsylvania say yes to hosting the world — again and again.
As the Commonwealth looks toward the second half of 2026 and beyond, that same reliability will keep being asked to do more — powering not just our favorite events, but the everyday lives of the families and businesses across Pennsylvania who depend on it year-round.
