With Islander Arena Voted Down, Is Barclays Center A Possibility?
by Net Income on Aug 2, 2011 7:51 AM EDT
in Brooklyn
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Voters in Nassau County rejected a $400 million arena bond issue Monday, leaving the Islanders in limbo and likely to either move, be sold or both. Once again, the prospect of the Islanders moving to Barclays Center is being raised, and this time, no one is saying no to the idea.
Six months ago, Bob Sanna, vice president for construction at Forest City Ratner, told a Pratt Institute School of Architecture audience that, to meet financing requirements, "we made some pretty deliberate decisions early on: we weren't going to have a [professional] hockey team." The problems: limited seating capacity and, in some cases, poor sight lines in the basketball-centric arena.
But more recently, word inside the Nets is that nothing can be ruled out, that the arena can "definitely" host the NHL, whether pre-season, a small number of home games or something more. Nothing has been determined but no one is dismissing the possibility anymore.
“The Islanders belong in Brooklyn,” Brooklyn Boro President Marty Markowitz said. “We've got lots of hockey fans, and since we're technically still on Long Island, they can call themselves the 'Brooklyn Islanders.'
- Islanders bid for new arena defeated at polls - NHL.com
- Long Island voters reject $400M plan for arena - AP
- Referendum loss leaves door open to possible Islanders move to Brooklyn - Rich Calder - New York Post
- Islanders arena vote fails: What now? - Brian Stubits - CBS Sports
- Lights out: After vote, Isles likely on move - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- With voters defeating bond for Nassau Coliseum, a big boost for the Barclays Center (if no new plan in Long Island emerges) - Norman Oder - Atlantic Yards Report
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Wait a minute...
NI, didn’t you dismiss the possibility (several times) just yesterday?
Opulence, I has it.
I have this strange feeling that NI is a die-hard rangers fan.
by Gr8tness on Aug 2, 2011 12:51 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
And he doesnt like the Mets either.
Oh well.
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
by NetsMets4Life on Aug 2, 2011 1:37 AM EDT up reply actions
This really bothers me...
Considering one of the reasons I lOVE the Brooklyn move is that its home to THE NETS. Period. Finito. End of story. Last thing I want to see entering my new home is Islander crap all over of the place. Thanks, but no thanks. Seriously. No thank you.
by Christopher Manchesi on Aug 2, 2011 12:44 AM EDT reply actions
Why not there's going to be hundreds of non-nets events why not add hockey as a bonus.
I mean devil fans were damn pissed when we came to prudential center but we didn’t care now did we.
It’s a business.
by Gr8tness on Aug 2, 2011 12:47 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
For a while, before AND after the Devils, the Meadowlands was home to THE NETS.
Period. Finito. End of story. What does sharing a building have to do with anything?
Besides, I’m pretty sure Barclays would rather have 80+ guaranteed dates than a competitor popping up in Flushing.
Opulence, I has it.
Oh so witty J Sal...Anyways...
As I was saying I want the NETS to have the majority of the arena including signage, banners, etc. Last thing I want to see is NETS and Islanders stuff hanging all over the place. Sorry for having an opinion on a subject, and J Sal just for the record you said Awhile? Pretty sure Nets had the arena to themselfs for 3 seasons after the Devils left. And one season before the Devils arrived so no idea what you are talking about their buddy boy.
by Christopher Manchesi on Aug 2, 2011 12:53 AM EDT up reply actions
Thin-skinned much?
Who said you can’t have an opinion? Who said a total of four seasons is NOT a while? Who said we were buddies?
Opulence, I has it.
4 seasons spanned out between nearly 28 years is awhile?
Alright their kid.
by Christopher Manchesi on Aug 2, 2011 1:09 AM EDT up reply actions
What's your prob?
20 minutes can be “a while” (two words there, son) depending on the context.
Opulence, I has it.
Probably only like 1,000 people even voted. To be honest although it's near my house you could make two points a) it's in the middle of nowhere but b) its long islands only major sports franchise.
I wish the isles move to bk with the nets. My two favorite teams wrapped in one big package. Islanders and nets are very similiar. Besides for the owners.
by Gr8tness on Aug 2, 2011 12:45 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I'd feel weird as a die hard Devils fan to see the Islanders sharing an arena with the Nets
"I just copped me an all-things, a professional ball team
Tell me I ain't the illest hustler ya'll seen"
I'm sure lots of older die hard Islanders fans felt weird about the Nets sharing an arena with the Devils.
Opulence, I has it.
Very true I suppose.
I didn’t even think about the fact that it’d happened before.
"I just copped me an all-things, a professional ball team
Tell me I ain't the illest hustler ya'll seen"
yea but
who did it shock? they shared and arena 2×. Not like that surprised anyone when they made the Newark switch.
Scary thing is as a Devils fan, Islanders at Barclay would be tempting. Plus I’d welcome the building splitting because it puts Barclays on the map now in 2 sports, which truly would rival the Garden. Also, Islanders in a state of the art arena could turn them around as well, and isn’t that the same thing we are hoping with the Nets?
If you build it they will come.
I have an old black and white poster somewhere
of both teams…on the same poster.
I was over at the Islanders blog, they seem to be hoping for Barclays.
Make it happen.
JJ for 3!
Seems like a lot of Tri-State area teams want Proky to be there savior
"We're not there yet, but we're going somewhere," Johnson said. "And we're going to Brooklyn. We're not going to contract. We're going to Brooklyn."
Colors are completely messed up though
Islanders and Rangers need to swap colors so it’d be blue+red vs blue+orange
by Proballxx on Aug 2, 2011 6:48 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Ladies and Gentlemen, Your 2013 Kansas City Bric-a-Brac's!!!
…and a once proud franchise quietly fades into the past tense…
Islanders should just move to Seattle
by Christopher Manchesi on Aug 2, 2011 1:25 AM EDT reply actions
Says someone who is most likely not an Islanders fan.
I am no Isles fan either, but how would you like it if instead of Brooklyn, the Nets were going to Seattle. Not very much I suspect.
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
by NetsMets4Life on Aug 2, 2011 1:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Well obviously i really could care less...
But I say Seattle because they are looking to support an NHL team. Not my team, not my problem.
by Christopher Manchesi on Aug 2, 2011 1:48 AM EDT up reply actions
Well isn't that everyone's mentality.
“if it isn’t my team, why should I care.” I am sure no Super Sonic fan was happy to see them leave, just as the team drafted a future (and now present) superstar. Any Atlanta hockey fans just had their team move 1500+ miles all the way to Winnipeg. The list goes on and on. It is no fun when it happens to you.
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
by NetsMets4Life on Aug 2, 2011 1:59 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't know what to make of that response.
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
by NetsMets4Life on Aug 2, 2011 2:02 AM EDT up reply actions
found a collection of my old Nets game programs today
there was one of Nets vs. Supersonics from 2008, their last season in Seattle. Somehow I have absolutely no recollection of this game, even though it was only 3 years ago, but I’m glad I got to see the Sonics in one of their last games.
Well, no new arena in Nassau I would think means more events for Barclays.
Anything that would have taken place in the new arena that was just voted down is now a possibility for Barclays, and that obviously includes Islanders hockey. I personally wouldn’t mind the Islanders there at all. And this is coming from a person who considers them self a Devils fan. I have heard the Coliseum is probably the worst venue in sports, so I would guess they are looking to knock it down?
The only issue I have is how the rest of NY is going to think about this. All of the Knicks and Rangers fans who laugh at the Nets and Islanders and think MSG is the be all and end all of sports venues (not even in just NYC, but anywhere) will be laughing at Barclays Center, saying it is the home of the second rate NY sports teams. And that’s despite the fact that Barclays will probably be the best arena of its kind when it opens. I guess we will just have to prove them wrong.
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
If I were a betting man....
My money would be on the team being sold and moved to a fresh new market out of New York.
by Christopher Manchesi on Aug 2, 2011 1:58 AM EDT up reply actions
Sounds good, but in actuality: Not many more events would move
The Coliseum hosts four types of events: NHL hockey, concerts, family events, and a ton of expos for local business. Aside from the can of worms that would be relocating the Islanders, I don’t see many events being able to get moved to Barclays. Most established events (concerts, circuses) play at both MSG and the Coliseum; remove the Coliseum, and I don’t know if it would make sense for two sets of engagements at close NYC venues. Concerts and family events (Ringling Bros., Sesame Street Live) fall into this boat. The Monster Jam (dirt bikes, drag racing) might not be at MSG—but I don’t know how many folks would care about that in Brooklyn. And expos—it hardly makes sense to hold things like wedding expos, boat shows, and home shows, mostly vehicles to showcase local LI businesses and such, in Brooklyn. So, unless Barclays gets the Isles and poaches events from MSG, I can’t see Barclays gaining much from the Coliseum’s closure.
If Quebec doesn't get a team by 2015
-the Islanders will be a perfect fit.
I wouldn't hold my breath
The Coyotes don’t even have a lease that goes beyond one year… I don’t see how Quebec would still be waiting for a team in 2015
by Proballxx on Aug 2, 2011 6:54 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
It would be great to have both @ Barclays but there are other markets that could use hocky
Toronto
Quebec
Hamilton
Seattle
Toronto/Hamilton would be a good market
But whichever team that move there would be paying the Maple Leafs a hefty fee.
Seattle’s interest doesn’t seem any higher than Queens’s.
Quebec would be the logical bet, but like I said, the Coyotes will probably move there in a year.
I think the Nets see an opportunity
to either get the Barclays Center more publicity or actually get it done.
For more than a year, officials publicly and privately have pooh-poohed the idea, going so far as to say that the NHL would never approve an arena with such a small capacity and that they had deliberately given up on the idea of NHL hockey. Then, as it looked like the Islanders wouldn’t get their new arena, things changed.
They have booked 163 dates in Barclays, out of a hoped-for 220. Adding 41 home games and three pre-season games gets them to 200+. The presence of the Islanders would help them get other tenants…other sponsors.
I was told the arena capacity for hockey, with its large “pad”, was no more than 14,500. Maybe they can squeeze more in somehow, but how many more? Of course, they do have the world’s most experienced arena architects as their architecs. (Barclays will have college hockey games, but you dont even need 14,500 seats for college hockey). Sightlines are another issue, I was told.
I can’t believe Prokhorov would buy the Islanders, but then again, he loves buying distressed assets and the Islanders certainly qualify.
In terms of LI fan growth
The Nets haven’t really targeted the large, basketball-loving, wealthy Nassau area…we’ve seen that their focus has been Brooklyn, and to a lesser extent other parts of NYC. Nothing to the burbs and LI, which are solidly pro-Knicks. The show of support to buy the Isles and allow them to play in Barclays would definitely turn some frustrated Knicks fans to Nets fans, without a doubt.
But I don’t know how Wang feels about selling the team in this way: if kept in the NY area, he may wish to retain it. He cares deeply about LI and has been trying his hardest to get a new building on LI, and he may not want to be tenants again in an arena he doesn’t own, with limited revenue potential from concessions and whatnot…that would depend on what kind of lease could be hammered through. As neat a scenario as it would be for him and the Isles, I don’t see a full-time move to Barclays—but perhaps they could rent space for a year or two if some new arena could get approved and built in Nassau or Queens.
Also, Proky has been on record repeatedly saying that he’s not interested in adding another team until the Nets get successful. He’s already turned down buying the Devils, which stand to be more profitable in the short-term anyway with their success. No way he’s buying anything else before Barclays opens, especially with his looming Presidential run.
Wang lost $230 million in ten years
he will sell to the highest bidder, even if that person wants to move the team to the Moon.
As for what the Nets are doing in terms of LI publicity, it’s pretty hard to get attention from the biggest paper on the Island when it’s owned by Dolan. Even before that, it didn’t cover the Nets AT ALL. The Nets have tried to get Barbara Barker from Newsday on board, inviting her to meet Prokhorov.
The LIRR stops at a station nearly under the arena. That will change a lot of things.
Fans don't convert
For the most part, much of LI and the city will still remain Knicks fans even after the Nets move there. In reality, most don’t drop their team just because they had a number of losing seasons. To those on LI, they don’t see Brooklyn and even Queens as part of them despite being there geographically. As a matter of fact, Nassau County was originally supposed to be part of NY when Queens was added in 1898, but seceded in protest to become its own county, though it’s only second youngest to Bronx County, which came in 1913 after being part of originally Westchester and NY Counties before that. I find that an irony, because there are parts of Brooklyn and Queens that don’t see themselves as part of NYC. If the Islanders do come to Brooklyn, they will probably still be called the NY Islanders since they are still in the state, so I doubt the name Brooklyn will go in front. Come to think of it, no major professional sports franchise in NYC is even called by the borough they play in hence no such thing as Manhattan Knicks, Liberty, and Rangers, Queens Mets, or even Bronx Yankees. I doubt that the city even roots for the Islanders to begin with let alone the Devils, though I am not a hockey fan myself.
The Nets and Brooklyn should be honored...
having the Islanders share their new arena.
I been watching NY/NJ sports, Baseball, Football, Basketball and Hockey for many years
and the NY ISLANDERS are probably the greatest “team” I have ever seen during those years when they won their four Stanley Cups. Those years Potvin, Trottier, Bossy, Gilles, Nystrom, Billy Smith and Chico Resch and so many others played, I had the most fun and excitement watching and rooting for the Islanders then with any other team, in any other sport.
One of the greatest teams in all sports history !
MAKE IT HAPPEN PROKHOROV !
“Yo…I got your Big Three right here !”
by M I K E on Aug 2, 2011 9:23 AM EDT reply actions 4 recs
Here is one of the reasons I consider the NY ISLANDERS one of the greatest teams ever...
During their run of four Stanley Cup championships and a fifth finals appearance, the Islanders won 19 straight playoff series, the longest streak in the history of professional sports (one more than the 1959–67 streak by the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association). Unlike the 1976–79 Montreal Canadiens, who needed to win three series in the 1976 and 1977 playoffs under the playoff format in place at that time, the Islanders had to win four series in each of their Stanley Cup seasons.
I know the Islanders have fallen on very tough times since then but as one NJ native son says…
" Well I guess everything dies baby that’s a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back
Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty and meet me tonight in Barclays Center"
by M I K E on Aug 2, 2011 9:35 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah, Jethro could sure handle himself when needed...
but he was no goon, and had very good hockey skills.
I never remember him starting a fight, but he sure ended most of them…
The funny thing is the Islanders were usually the "good guys"...
and teams like the Flyers and Bruins would try to intimidate them with goon tactics. But the Islanders were a highly skilled team that could get down and dirty if the other team chose to play that way.
Garry “Toy Tiger” Howatt one of the Islander main enforcers was only about 5’8" but as tough as nails, plus he could actually play hockey.
That team had it all !
4 straight cups
though i wasnt around to see it, i made sure i watched some old games on NHL Network and on VHS. Man they were an exciting team. Seeing those games made me an Islander fan.
Clark Gillies was not really a fighter...
He didn’t like fighting but when he had to, he would destroy the enemies top goons and usually very quickly.
On the other hand the great Mike Bossy did not believe in fighting, it was against his personal beliefs and nature but he was very fearless and tough, and the rest of the Islanders made sure nobody messed with him…
That team was so wonderful in so many ways. Even the coach Al Arbour and the G.M. Bill Torrey were class acts…
Kidding ???
When was the last time the Knicks or Nets won a championship ?
Thirty years is a drop in the bucket for a true fan…(LOL)
Lots of things change in 30 years.
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
by NetsMets4Life on Aug 2, 2011 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Would be good for Brooklyn
And keeps more people working at the new arena.
Section 18, Row 7 at The Rock!
"Your 2010-2011 New Jersey Nets - It Is What It Is"
by eLonepb on Aug 2, 2011 9:30 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
My biggest concern with hockey arenas
Is that arenas have to be built for hockey, and then chairs added to support basketball – not the other way around.
The length and width of the ice is far greater than a basketball court, which leaves oddly placed barriers for basketball games (if you’ve sat center court low rows at a Nets game, you know these barriers) and also makes for odd sideline seats away from center court that are basically facing directly at people behind the basket, as opposed to the court.
I diagrammed this awhile back to show the differences in “closeness” to the court as well as angle with Barclays vs Prudential Center.
Here you can see the Prudential Center seating from the sideline. First, your seats are directly facing the people behind the basket instead of the court, and look how much empty space is being wasted:
But here is Barclay’s from the same seats. Seats are turning to face the court at all times and the space between the court and the seats behind the basket is much much smaller:
Here’s another view of the sidelines and how they have to makeshift the Prudential Center to support basketball, adding seats in front of a hockey barrier on risers.. and I don’t know if you’ve ever sat Row 1 in front of the courtside people, but they are almost at your eye level and significantly block your view:
But here is Barclays seating and you can see how you come right up onto the court, no barriers in your way, and once again you notice the corner seating facing directly at the court:
This is why I am hoping they do not turn this into a hockey arena, because doing so makes it a hockey arena first and modified later to support a basketball court.
Section 18, Row 7 at The Rock!
"Your 2010-2011 New Jersey Nets - It Is What It Is"
by eLonepb on Aug 2, 2011 10:13 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
I thought its already been established that...
…the arena as currently designed can already accommodate hockey. Its just that, due to the basketball-centric design, it can only seat 14,500 fans for hockey and has poor sightlines (but good for basketball).
So no one will be sacrificing anything to get hockey in the house. Its a basketball arena foremost where hockey can be played.
Where there is a will...and money to be made
they will find a way…
Those engineer genius can figure it all out…
by M I K E on Aug 2, 2011 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
it was designed with a hockey pad in mind
college and NHL pads take up the same amount of space.
The issue is lower level seating
very-very cool pics e-Lone!!!
Where did you find them???
Obviously, from a hoops perspective the closer to the court configuration looks better. Still it’s not “that” big a difference. We’re only talking about 10 feet and a few hundred seats out of 17,500 seats. Seats that would mostly go to celebrities anyway.
I do see your point but this isn’t like soccer where some stadiums have olympic tracks around them pushing the seats back (at least) 50 feet from each side.
Opulence, I has it.
o_O
ChrisMannixSI Chris Mannix
League also files a lawsuit in federal court to establish that if union decertifies, existing player contracts are void and unenforceable
Text alert!!! Union decertifying...? "Say it isn't so Jim"
"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven"
by aunt-B on Aug 2, 2011 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
derek fisher, keyon dooling, roger mason jr
best big three ever
so if i’m interpreting this right. the contracts would be voided and when the lockout ends there would be a 30-team expansion/fantasy draft with teams allowed to protect 5-7 players on the team before the lockout and all other players would have to re-signed to new deals?
The realist keepin it real amongst the surrealists
R.I.P. Big Homey Nate Dogg: "Cuz Iiiiiiiiii have ne-evv-ver met a giiiiiiiiiirrrrrrllllllllllllllllllll tha-at I loved in the whole wide wooorrrlllllddddddd"
by starbury_to_s-jaxci2000 on Aug 2, 2011 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions
If the union decertifies
And if the judge rules in the favor of the NBA.
Scare tactics.
Section 18, Row 7 at The Rock!
"Your 2010-2011 New Jersey Nets - It Is What It Is"
eh, they should find somewhere else to go..
I love how Hockey is only popular in the US because of the fighting… You know there would be no hockey league if they played a respectful game. The thing I dont get is, why dont people who just wanna watch fighting in hockey just watch fighting (i.e. boxing, mma, or dare i even suggest—- wrestling).. the point is I have a hard time qualifying hockey as a sport when half the goals, and assists are luck, and half the outcomes of games are decided by which star gets beat up by a nobody bench player.
I agree somewhat about the state of hockey nowadays...
Something went wrong with the sport of Hockey in the nineties and continues till today. Helmets, influx of foreign players playing a different style of hockey, rule changes, goons who couldn’t play at all but were still allowed to go out and maim players …The sport changed from the sixties, seventies and eighties and became stupid and insipid. But it still can be a great, exciting game if they could get someone with any brains and vision guiding it into the future.
Maybe all they need to do is to lengthen and widen the rink a bit…
by M I K E on Aug 2, 2011 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
this is why
boxing – too many one-sided matchups, not enough MARQUEE matchups cough floyd cough pacman cough, and 95% of the matches are on pay-per-view
mma – again mainly comes on showtime(the good fights), declining star power, half the dudes are likely on something i suppose, seems harder to market to the general audience as well
wrestling – only wrestling that matters is Olympic/college wrestling. everything else is a bunch of scripted BS. I saw a behind the scenes documentary and couldnt believe all the “acting” coaches the wrestlers had in pre-show walkthrough
The realist keepin it real amongst the surrealists
R.I.P. Big Homey Nate Dogg: "Cuz Iiiiiiiiii have ne-evv-ver met a giiiiiiiiiirrrrrrllllllllllllllllllll tha-at I loved in the whole wide wooorrrlllllddddddd"
by starbury_to_s-jaxci2000 on Aug 2, 2011 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Boxing needs heavyweights...
Floyd, Pacman, whatever… All of it’s “Golden Eras” the late ’30s (Louis), the early ’50s (Marciano) and all of the ’70s (Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Norton, Holmes) featured at least one world renowned heavy weight champ.
Opulence, I has it.
Damn Durant scored a lot of points in a NY street ball game last night
Too bad that means he probably sucks.
Section 18, Row 7 at The Rock!
"Your 2010-2011 New Jersey Nets - It Is What It Is"
66 points...
Swag now has something to shoot for…
by M I K E on Aug 2, 2011 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Something to "shoot" for literally!
"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven"
is john lucas III trying to get infamous?
his teams, as far as i know, have been smoked by marshon brooks and kevin durant
and durant basically did his best 86 MJ impression just playing 1 on 5 and dropping 30-35 foot bombs
The realist keepin it real amongst the surrealists
R.I.P. Big Homey Nate Dogg: "Cuz Iiiiiiiiii have ne-evv-ver met a giiiiiiiiiirrrrrrllllllllllllllllllll tha-at I loved in the whole wide wooorrrlllllddddddd"
by starbury_to_s-jaxci2000 on Aug 2, 2011 12:02 PM EDT up reply actions
I think the state and especially Long Island
is pushing for them to move to Brooklyn. A lot of people would be devastated to seem the team move far away, the Islanders are apart of New York culture. I don’t think Prokhorov would buy them, but hopefully someone steps up to buy the team, and they somehow find a way for them to play games at Barclays.
My only fear is that the arena is too small for regular hockey games.
So it would be sold out every night?
I’m sure the Islanders would like that.
Section 18, Row 7 at The Rock!
"Your 2010-2011 New Jersey Nets - It Is What It Is"
Newer baseball parks are being built with less seating...
then in the past, They rather have 40,000 fans in a packed rocking stadium then 35,000 in a half empty stadium.
If the Islanders do move into Barclays I’m pretty sure they will be able to handle any logistical problems that might arise without sacrificing the beautiful arena they have planed for the Brookly Nets.
Well if people like hockey I guess
Personally I’m not a fan, but it’s easier for people from Long Island to commute to Brooklyn then say a place like Houston or Seattle
by JerseysFinest. on Aug 2, 2011 11:06 AM EDT up reply actions
I think it makes too much sense for them to not at least seriously consider Brooklyn...
1) they keep their lucrative local TV deal, which they are getting about as much money per year as the Devils and Nets COMBINED
2) they keep much of their existing fanbase, and add a new fanbase of fans from Brooklyn & Queens
3) they don’t need to spend any money on financing a new arena, nor anything on maintenance, etc. Just rent (and the Nets would probably give them a favorable deal to play there)
4) they already own the market rights to Queens & Brooklyn, so no need to pay any teams to invade their territory
5) Possibility of sellouts every night
there isn't an LIRR station within a mile of Nassau Coliseum
All but one of the eleven LIRR branches, either directly or with a change in Jamaica, are accessible from the Atlantic Terminal, which will be connected to the arena via the Transit Connection.
Anyone who thinks they can get the city to back, in any way, shape or form, ANOTHER sports facility didn’t watch cable news this weekend. Willets Point has the same eminent domain issues that took the Nets five years to resolve. That ain’t happening.
also, over the next five years, it will get easier
when they bring the LIRR into grand central, you may be able to hop on the Lexington Avenue Express and be at Barclays quicker than a change at Jamaica.
Oh, I only brought up Queens...
…Because its kind of stuck between Nassau and Brooklyn, so the natural assumption is that there would be fans from there who would go to Brooklyn to watch the Isles…
I agree that a Willets Point arena isn’t happening. It just doesn’t make any financial sense to build a third arena in the city and have the Rock, Izod, and NVMC nearby also.
The LIRR is a definitely plus, but with a caveat… Depending on where on Long Island a person is traveling from, it might be quicker to get to Penn/MSG instead…
They had a commuter train line that ran right off the north end of the Coliseum property.
Closed in the mid ’50s and used as a freight line (mostly for the nearby Roosevelt Filed Mall) until trucks took over. Now the tracks only used for the when the circus comes to the Coliseum.
NIMBY’s, in their infinite wisdom, are dead set against bringing back a commuter train that could bring “city folk” to Roosevelt Field, the Coliseum, Hofstra, Nassau CC, or Eisenhower Park.
Opulence, I has it.
I agree, as long as the Nets arena...
is not compromised. The NHL and Islanders might want 18,000 seats but they would have to settle for 14,000 +…Sometimes less is more.
no way they can get 18,000 seats for hockey
I doubt they can get many more than 15,000…but thats what Winnepeg gets.
Of course, they will have to get good enough to warrant that $20 million a year TV rights package.
Since they already started putting in precast concrete for the seats
how in the world are they going to manipulate it?
breaking news
According to international basketball correspondent Dubi Pick, Maccabi Haifa are in negotiations with Jordan Farmar to play for the team.
American owner Jeffrey Rosen has confirmed that the team is speaking with Farmar. If he signs, Farmar would get an Israeli passport and would not be considered a foreign import. This supports a report that Farmar would consider playing in the Israeli League if the lockout extended.
Marty Markowitz...............
this guy jumps on any thing public dealing with Brooklyn. the power of politics
Niners,Nets,Reds & USC!!!
The Most Interesting Man In The World---->Mikhail Prokhorov!!!
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