Today in Los Angeles, the City Council approved the funds to build a stadium for L.A.'s non-existent football team. In fact, there's also a private group that has secured a site for a stadium. Problem is there isn't a team that's shown any intention to move to L.A. Contrast that to Nassau County, where the brilliant county legislature put the fate of the new arena the Islanders desperately need in the hands of the voters, who are just as clueless. Not surprisingly, the new arena was voted down.
Now, before I go any further I need to stop here and clarify something. I am not, never have been and never will be a fan of the New York Islanders. As a Rangers fan, that's just the way it is. If the Islanders were relevant, they'd be on par with the Red Sux in my eyes. But as it stands right now, they're somewhat irrelevant, so I'm sort of in this weird state of indifference towards them. Nevertheless, the situation that the Islanders are being forced to deal with, which really has nothing to do with them, is just sad.
Hockey-wise, it's a catch-22. The team isn't good and hasn't been for years. In an area that has three teams, one of which is consistently good (the Devils) and another of which has been an institution in the city for 85 years that plays in a legendary arena (the Rangers), that doesn't really help the Islanders' cause. But more importantly, Nassau Coliseum is a dump. It was a dump 15 years ago and inherited the title of "Worst Sports Venue In New York" when the Mets finally tore down Shea Stadium. That's where the situation becomes tricky. People don't want to go watch a crappy team play in a crappy facility. Thus, the Islanders don't bring in that much money from ticket sales. Revenue that could be used to improve the team on the ice. If the team on the ice was better, the seats would be filled and that would certainly strengthen the Islanders' argument that they need a new arena.
I don't think a single person who's ever been to Nassau Coliseum could dispute that the Islanders desperately need a new arena. Islanders owner Charles Wang certainly knows that. But it's not as simple as just building one like the Yankees, Mets and Giants/Jets did (and Nets are). Wang doesn't have enough money to do that. Nassau County owns Nassau Coliseum. So, Wang has to work with the county on any new arena plans. And that's where the problem comes in. The team and the county announced plans to renovate the Coliseum way back in 2004, but seven years later, that still hasn't happened. Then on August 1, Nassau County voters were asked to vote on a proposal to build a new arena that would replace the Coliseum. Everybody knew that it wouldn't pass, and it didn't. Now the Islanders moving to another city seems a lot more likely than actually convincing the people of Nassau County to pay for a new arena.
Whether or not New York needs to have three hockey teams is irrelevant. That's not the point of this post. This isn't about the New York Islanders. It's about the fact that Nassau Coliseum is 40 years old and desperately needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, the voters of Nassau County don't get that. They just see the tax increase. Not the big picture.
So, with that in mind, let me paint the big picture for our friends in Nassau County (full disclosure: my family is from Suffolk, the other county on Long Island). While the most well known, Islanders games aren't the only events that take place at the facility. Far from it. Nassau Coliseum is the only major league arena on Long Island, which means it hosts a lot of concerts and other entertainment events (wrestling is one of the most popular). The fact that the Islanders suck should have no impact on these events. But they don't sell out either. Why? Because the arena's not only a piece of crap, it's impossible to get to. The only way to get there is one road, which means you have to drive (and sit in traffic). People don't want to do that, then be uncomfortable when they finally get to the concert/game.
Now say the Islanders move to Quebec (arbitrary city, nothing more). That's 41 fewer events at the arena each year. That means parking attendants, vendors, ushers, security, concessions people, ticket takers, etc., will lose income. It doesn't matter how much. And with the Nets' new arena in Brooklyn opening next year, how soon until Nassau Coliseum starts losing some of its concert dates? Want proof, look at what happened to the Meadowlands Arena when the Prudential Center opened. So add the other events that don't come to Nassau Coliseum to the lost wages. And that's just for one year.
I'm sure that's something that the genuises in Nassau County didn't consider. I bet they didn't consider this either: building a new arena will also create a whole bunch of jobs. Think about it. You need contractors, carpenters, engineers, electricians, welders, and I'm sure a lot of other people who do jobs I can't really think of right now. And once it's done, you've got this beautiful new arena that might attract MORE events. So, not only are you keeping money in Nassau County, you're also bringing it in. I think that would make the slight tax hike for a few years worth it for Nassau County residents. Unfortunately, they don't.
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