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Nixtreefan
Joined: 14 Nov 2012 Posts: 2539
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Posted: 01/14/19 1:38 pm ::: |
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Anyone know if this is close to being finalized?
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Richyyy
Joined: 17 Nov 2005 Posts: 24484 Location: London
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Posted: 01/14/19 2:55 pm ::: |
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Looking at this list - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_indoor_arenas_in_the_United_States - an sorting it by state to produce the New York section suggests there's nothing much between 14,000 and 8,000, but at least offers a whole bunch that must surely be better than Westchester. I obviously know nothing about the condition of them or the transport links, but it's hard to believe that none of them would be an improvement. |
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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 64255
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Posted: 01/14/19 3:18 pm ::: |
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The RAC supposedly accommodates 8000. Like WCC, it’s not pretty, but if you need the space....
_________________ Nnekalonians 1:14 - Thou shalt not accept that which is not earned
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 22513 Location: NJ
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Posted: 01/14/19 4:44 pm ::: |
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Shades wrote: |
The RAC supposedly accommodates 8000. Like WCC, it’s not pretty, but if you need the space.... |
It really isn't, but definitely an upgrade over WCC. And don't temp me with this option as it's only a few minutes away for me.
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 22513 Location: NJ
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Posted: 01/14/19 4:45 pm ::: |
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Nixtreefan wrote: |
Anyone know if this is close to being finalized? |
Yeah, would love to hear this become official sooner than later. But I'm hopeful by Feb. 1 we have an announcement.
_________________ LET'S GO LIBERTY!!!!!!
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root_thing
Joined: 28 Apr 2007 Posts: 7365 Location: Underground
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Posted: 01/14/19 5:06 pm ::: |
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Richyyy wrote: |
Looking at this list - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_indoor_arenas_in_the_United_States - an sorting it by state to produce the New York section suggests there's nothing much between 14,000 and 8,000, but at least offers a whole bunch that must surely be better than Westchester. I obviously know nothing about the condition of them or the transport links, but it's hard to believe that none of them would be an improvement. |
Looking at distance only, most of the listed arenas in New York are much farther upstate than WCC. Nassau to the East is slightly farther. In Connecticut, everything is moderately to significantly farther. In New Jersey, Trenton is slightly farther. Newark is the closest of any option in the tri-state area. Obviously, we've been down that road before.
The page doesn't list college arenas, but we discussed them on the other thread. All seem to have some kind of fault or other, with a common one being bleacher seating. I think the best bet is to partner with one of these universities to renovate their facility. Too bad we just missed out on NYU. They just knocked down their sports center last year. The new one will be a mixed-use building, but if you could have gotten there earlier with a proposal, who knows? Otherwise, the next best alternative might be to convert some little-used very large space. If someone had thought about this 10-15 years ago, there were a few armories rotting away that might have been available. Now, most have already been converted or knocked down. The 14th Street Armory would have been perfect. Huge space, ugly mostly windowless concrete building -- apparently so ugly that no one wanted to take a picture of it. I can't find a photo anywhere on the internet. Knock it down, renovate it -- you could do almost anything you want and no one would complain. Anyway, right now you'd probably be looking for an old factory or warehouse. However, real estate developers all over New York are searching for the same kinds of space.
If people are considering New Jersey, it's interesting to note that the Izod Center is still standing. It's used occasionally as a rehearsal space by bands scheduled for concerts at the other arenas. I'm not sure why it failed, but maybe some smart businessman can find a way to revive it? Just spitballing here.
_________________ You can always do something else.
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 22513 Location: NJ
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Posted: 01/14/19 5:17 pm ::: |
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The Izod Center was falling apart during its final years hosting the Nets. I doubt Tsai would pump money into this dump when the options of Nassau, Barclays & Prudential are all available.
_________________ LET'S GO LIBERTY!!!!!!
Twitter: @TBRBWAY
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root_thing
Joined: 28 Apr 2007 Posts: 7365 Location: Underground
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Posted: 01/14/19 5:34 pm ::: |
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toad455 wrote: |
The Izod Center was falling apart during its final years hosting the Nets. I doubt Tsai would pump money into this dump when the options of Nassau, Barclays & Prudential are all available. |
You're probably right, but the whole concept of a "fixer-upper" is to buy something on the cheap and then make it valuable again. You're actually looking for something unwanted.
_________________ You can always do something else.
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J-Spoon
Joined: 31 Jan 2009 Posts: 6835
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Posted: 01/14/19 5:38 pm ::: |
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I realize I sound overly optimistic but Barclay's has to be the plan.
The new owner owns 49% of a team that plays there, and I am sure would want to cross promote his new WNBA team with his NBA team the business relationship with the owner of Barclay's is already in place. Barclay's is 100 yards from a transportation hub with no less then 10 subway lines and a Long Island railroad station. It is actually a short commute for Long Island fans than even MSG, and all the current demographics of the WNBA fan base reside in Brooklyn and most who would commute to MSG from other places will have a similar commute to Barclay's (Maybe a little less ease for the Conn, NJ, upstate NY crowd but with WCC and the Prudential center it seems clear those aren't that large of the Liberty fan base to begin with).
Also my instinct is if this new owner is a sports franchise buying billionaire he is not taking over the Liberty to half ass it. At least at the beginning he is going to try and make it a thing, so he is going to want the flashiest and best for the team and Barclay's is the only thing that fits that bill.
Now if suddenly we are entering March and nothing is official I will change my tune, but if there is a big announcement in the next couple of weeks I will be shocked if moving to Barclay's and Brooklyn isn't part of it.
Also in the Liberty thread someone spoke to T. Plaisance on a plane months ago and Plaisance said the Liberty would be playing in Brooklyn next summer. And while yes a player from another team making a comment shouldn't be seen as a sure thing it does lead you to believe that these discussions have been going on behind the scenes for a while, and it is probably a rumor that is based on what people have been hearing from an actual sources not just wishful thinking, and saying "playing in Brooklyn" is different from saying "they will be staying in NY",or "won't be relocating" etc
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NYL_WNBA_FAN
Joined: 28 May 2007 Posts: 14097
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Posted: 01/14/19 9:50 pm ::: |
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I also think Barclay's has to be the choice. Nassau is not going to draw. Barclay's will probably draw about what MSG did. Brooklyn turns out for its teams. Boxing even does pretty well there with certain regulars drawing nice crowds. I agree also with the thinking that a billionaire isn't going to do anything less than go all-in at the very beginning of ownership.
_________________ The poster formerly known as LibWNBAFan.
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root_thing
Joined: 28 Apr 2007 Posts: 7365 Location: Underground
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Posted: 01/14/19 11:17 pm ::: |
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Even as a kid, I didn't believe in Santa Claus. So, until I know what motivates this guy, I have a hard time accepting that he's going to save us just out of the goodness of his heart. Tsai lives in Hong Kong and California. His business is in China. He attended all of three Nets games last year, but men's sports teams are a good investment because they almost always appreciate. Tsai can just be an absentee owner. He also purchased the San Diego lacrosse team, which is near his home in La Jolla. Tsai can attend their games more regularly. Plus, he played the sport in high school and college. But where do the Liberty fit in? Will Tsai catch a game while passing through NY on business? Maybe he comes here for vacation? More likely he'll have to watch the games on Live Access (use the discount code, Joe!). This ain't Rosie O'Donnell. He doesn't love our team. So yeah, I'm a skeptic who will look a gift horse in the mouth.
_________________ You can always do something else.
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J-Spoon
Joined: 31 Jan 2009 Posts: 6835
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Posted: 01/15/19 12:12 am ::: |
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While I see your point and your pragmatism, but when I read your comment the question that comes to mind is "then why buy the team at all?" It is not a secret that the W isn't a huge money maker, and last season was truly a bust for the Liberty, so my assumption is any who would buy the team would be motivated by love, seeing an opportunity where others see a money pit or ego. All of which would lead me to believe they are going to try. I guess it is possible the motivation is charity and what ever the team costs would be very little in the grand scheme of things to someone like Tsai so maybe he just wants to keep it a float out of being a good citizen, but I find that to be a more questionable motivation than the ones I have listed above.
I am working on pure hope and speculation but the more I think about it there is no reason to buy the Liberty and not try to make it happen. And I am prepared to be wrong and sad if it doesn't go through but for now I am going to be excited and hopeful.
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root_thing
Joined: 28 Apr 2007 Posts: 7365 Location: Underground
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Posted: 01/15/19 2:07 am ::: |
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Hey, I hope you're right. And I freely admit to being a worst-case scenario worrier and preparation guy. For instance, I just had a birthday. Every year I bump up my age two months in advance so that I'm not depressed on my birthday. I also stock up on all kinds of supplies so that I never suddenly run out. I'm just compulsively prepared.
_________________ You can always do something else.
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Bob Lamm
Joined: 11 Apr 2010 Posts: 5065 Location: New York City
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Randy
Joined: 08 Oct 2011 Posts: 10911
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Posted: 01/15/19 9:09 am ::: |
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It could be he's just taking a flier based on a really long term view that eventually the WNBA will become a good investment. Maybe he is willing to wait 20 years to get a franchise that is worth a lot. In the meantime he gets tax deductions.
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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 64255
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Posted: 01/15/19 9:45 am ::: |
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MGM didn’t buy the Stars because they were making money. They wanted add to their portfolio to make them look like a sports mecca and help them draw NBA and NFL teams. Maybe this guy is doing something similar.
_________________ Nnekalonians 1:14 - Thou shalt not accept that which is not earned
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 22513 Location: NJ
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 22513 Location: NJ
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Posted: 01/15/19 5:09 pm ::: |
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Shades wrote: |
MGM didn’t buy the Stars because they were making money. They wanted add to their portfolio to make them look like a sports mecca and help them draw NBA and NFL teams. Maybe this guy is doing something similar. |
Possibly. But Tsai will likely own the Nets outright by 2021. In regards to MGM, it's clearly a move to get an NBA there I the next 3-5 years. Silver has said no expansion currently, but he could easily add Vegas & Seattle for 2022 if he wanted to.
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Admiral_Needa
Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 10482 Location: Tiburon, CA
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CamrnCrz1974
Joined: 18 Nov 2004 Posts: 18371 Location: Phoenix
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libertycrazy97
Joined: 20 Apr 2010 Posts: 176
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Posted: 01/15/19 6:49 pm ::: |
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the liberty being sold will be great as dolan has no love for them.
They are most likely in wcc this year. remember contracts are signed. People who work there will loose money if they cant book other events.
Moving to Nassau or even prudential is a no. they are to far out. Also when we were in prudential all 3 years (and i was there all three years) we really did not draw that great. i have pictures of the empty arena. so he would loose money right away.
barclays is the option. for me and i live in nyc it will be over an hour drive with no traffic. and an hour and a half via mass transit.
so i will be giving up the full season subscription after 2 decades cause i wont be able to go to evening week night games.
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StevenHW
Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 10987 Location: Sacramento, California
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StevenHW
Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 10987 Location: Sacramento, California
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Posted: 01/18/19 4:58 pm ::: |
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From that article:
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[NY Liberty] fans could question whether an owner like Tsai has enough emotional bandwidth to adequately support the various teams he owns. |
Who cares? Granted, Tsai has businesses in other locales, but at least he is willing to step up and get involved in the WNBA.
The only other difference between Tsai and Jimmy Dolan is that Dolan is a local (New York area) guy. But that doesn't mean Tsai doesn't take an interest in the area, especially since he owns a substantial part of the Brooklyn Nets team.
I never heard of the term "emotional bandwidth" before until I read that article. I guess I'm getting old, because I prefer the term "emotionally invested" instead.
_________________ "The more I see of the moneyed classes, the more I understand the guillotine." -- George Bernard Shaw
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 22513 Location: NJ
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Bob Lamm
Joined: 11 Apr 2010 Posts: 5065 Location: New York City
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