Photo by Michael Yatsko
I am a sucker for a sports analogy, quote or story that can relate to work. Whether it’s skating to where the puck is going like Wayne Gretzky, calling an audible when plans shift on the fly, or channeling Michael Jordan’s grit after being cut from his high school varsity team, I have a deep reservoir to pull from.
During a conversation recently with a business leader, I asked what they felt was stopping us from tackling some of the bigger challenges downtown. Their response? Everyone seems to hold back, wait and assume someone else is going to take the lead. Naturally, it reminded me of a sports story.
In 2000, Rick Pitino, coming off a historic run as coach of the Kentucky Wildcats men’s college basketball team, was coaching the struggling Boston Celtics. While this pains me to admit as a Sixers fan, the Celtics are arguably the most storied franchise in NBA history. After yet another disappointing loss, fans and media were clamoring for a return to the franchise’s glory days, longing for legends like Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.
In a moment of surprising candor, Pitino said, “Larry Bird is not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door, and Robert Parish is not walking through that door.”
The quote is infamous because it revealed what was really holding the Celtics back: paralysis by comparison. Instead of building a new identity and realigning around a recalibrated vision, they were stuck measuring everything they did against their legendary past.
Pitino’s frustrated message was clear: wishing for the “good old days” doesn’t fix the present. Effective leaders deal with reality, not nostalgia.
As we look to revitalize downtown Harrisburg, we run the danger of clinging to outdated models or former successes. We need to be living in the present. We should be assessing our capital city’s incredible strengths and identifying the resources necessary to accelerate its growth.
Harrisburg isn’t a blank slate. It’s a capital city with a scenic riverfront, a thriving arts and cultural district, one of the country’s best STEM universities, and a growing community of individuals who believe in its future. These are the building blocks for a renewed downtown Harrisburg—not relics of the past, but an example of what’s possible when energy and vision come together.
I get it. It’s easy to wait. Easy to assume someone else has more influence, more capital or more responsibility. The problem is that when we all wait, nothing happens. What downtown needs now isn’t another savior—it needs coordinated urgency. We need to adopt a shared belief that progress comes not from one person or organization doing everything, but from everyone doing something.
Over the next several months, the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC will be working with the mayor and our legislative leadership on bringing together county, state, public and private leaders for a whole of house response to downtown’s current challenges. And when we do that, we aren’t going to hurt our necks by looking back at the glory days. We are going to pivot from nostalgia to the assets we have and the coordinated urgency from the leaders that want to make great things happen.
Larry Bird (or Vance McCormick or T. Morris Chester or Mira Lloyd Dock or Steve Reed) isn’t walking through the door in downtown Harrisburg. That’s OK. Progress doesn’t depend on legends from the past—it depends on the neighbors, entrepreneurs, creatives and leaders who step up today.
The future of our downtown won’t be built by waiting—it’ll be built by showing up, investing and believing in what’s possible. The door is open. The question is: Who’s ready to walk through it with us?
Ryan Unger is president and CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC. For more information, visit www.harrisburgregionalchamber.org. If you’d like to assist in the downtown Harrisburg revitalization effort, contact [email protected].
If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!
