keep the Flyers and 76ers in Philadelphia, what would become the CoreStates Center (now the Wells Fargo Center). Prior to the Wells Fargo Center's opening in 1996, he sold a 66% stake of all of his businesses, including Spectacor, to Philadelphia-based Comcast, creating Comcast-Spectacor. However, Snider remained chairman of the venture, retaining a minority interest. As part of the deal, Comcast also purchased the 76ers, who had been Snider's tenants since 1971. Snider and Comcast CEO Brian Roberts became very close friends and business partners, remaining each other's closest advisor until Snider's death. Soon after, Comcast-Spectacor created Comcast SportsNet in 1996. Comcast-Spectacor was also granted an expansion franchise in the AHL, the Philadelphia Phantoms. In a 1999 Philadelphia Daily News poll, Snider was selected as the city's greatest sports mover and shaker, beating out legends such as Connie Mack, Sonny Hill, Bert Bell, and Roger Penske. Nonprofit organizations In 1985, Snider was one of the founding contributors of the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI), which was established by the philosopher Leonard Peikoff to promote Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. In 1990, after a dispute between ARI and philosopher David Kelley, Snider became a backer of Kelley's rival organization, the Institute for Objectivist Studies (now known as The Atlas Society). In 2003, Snider became a founding board member of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (now named Beyond Celiac.) He continued to support the organization until his death in 2016. In 2005, Snider created the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation to provide a means to reach inner-city children in the Philadelphia area and provide them with the opportunity to learn to play hockey. In 2014, Snider donated $5 million to the University of Maryland to create the Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets, a part of the Robert H. Smith School of Business that educates students about capitalism, markets, and enterprise. Snider also created The Snider Foundation, a charitable family foundation, which continues to operate after his death. The foundation donates millions of dollars annually to causes he believed in, including Jewish causes, conservative political organizations, and educational programs. Honors and awards In 1988, Snider was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1989, Snider was inducted into the Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Fame alongside Keith Allen and Bill Barber. In 1997, Snider was inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. In 1999, Snider was named Philadelphia's "Greatest Mover