Kickball tournament raises money for data center, landfill opponents

Teams in Lackawanna County will chase a $100 cash prize and a championship trophy at a kickball tournament built to raise money for opponents of a proposed data center and landfill. The proceeds are set to benefit Stop Archbald Data Centers and other local grassroots environmental groups, giving a familiar rec-league format a sharper purpose than a weekend bracket.

The fundraiser lands in the middle of a long-running land-use fight that has kept Olyphant and Archbald busy with hearings, zoning battles and legislative moves. On Jan. 2, Olyphant was preparing data-center legislation. By March 8, Olyphant and Archbald were planning hearings on data centers, and on April 29 a firm linked to DeNaples challenged Olyphant over data-center zoning. A month later, on May 13, companies tied to DeNaples and a Missouri firm applied for 16 Olyphant data centers.

That pressure did not slow the opposition effort. On June 26, an Olyphant data-center developer called public hearings an unnecessary delay, while July 17 brought flyers and a survey for Archbald's seventh data-center project to residents. The kickball tournament sits squarely inside that sequence, using an adult sport with a low barrier to entry to pull in players, donations and attention for the anti-development side.

The broader pattern extends beyond one borough. A 2025 Times-Tribune article had already noted proposed AI data centers in Blakely, showing how the issue has spread across multiple Lackawanna County communities. For the tournament organizers, kickball is not just the game on the field. It is the hook that gets teams together, gets cash moving and keeps the land-use fight visible while the zoning cases grind on.