OT: James Dolan Story and interview

[eebmg]

I hate James Dolan like few others but for those who want to read a well done expose by Ian O'Conner, go to

This is why James Dolan runs the Knicks and the Garden without apology

Of course, I only cared about any questions regarding the NY Liberty


On why he's selling the WNBA's Liberty: "I don't know how to be successful with the Liberty. We've always tried to be helpful with the league, and I believe in the Liberty product. If you go to a Liberty game, they're fun basketball games to go to. But I'll be damned if I know how to get people to go to those games. ... We've pumped tons of marketing dollars, we've done everything we can to make the team successful, and people don't come. I think it's the time of year and the perception that the sport is not as good as the NBA."


Attendance at MSG was generally around 10,000 but MSG says that about half of the tickets were comped. Who knows the truth?

All I know is that the crowds at MSG were always great when I went and they gutted my team and I can never make it to the new
arena.

 

[DefenseBB]

I am a huge WCBB fan and dislike the WNBA immensely. The league needs to be honest about the attendance, the revenue and their marketing plan. The players need to understand this is a revenue league unlike Europe where the teams are money losing propositions. I can't believe the Players have no clue why the fans do not like them as it's not that hard but hey, who am I to argue as I stated, I am not a fan of the "W".

 

[JordyG]

What a horrible person. One doesn't have to question his basketball acumen. Just look at how the Knicks has become a "clown" franchise, as Max Kellerman would say, on his watch. Just look at how free agents would rather go to Indiana or Minnesota for cryin' out loud than play under him. Just look at how he over paid a man who had never been a GM, then watched as that man insisted his team play the triangle with less than meager talent and a coach that barely understood it. Just read at how proud he was in preventing NY from getting the Olympics and the Jets from having their own stadium. That's all you need to know.

 

[eebmg]

I am a huge WCBB fan and dislike the WNBA immensely. The league needs to be honest about the attendance, the revenue and their marketing plan. The players need to understand this is a revenue league unlike Europe where the teams are money losing propositions. I can't believe the Players have no clue why the fans do not like them as it's not that hard but hey, who am I to argue as I stated, I am not a fan of the "W".

Not everyone feels as you do about the WNBA and to be honest, I really do not understand why the WNBA cant find a niche fandom that keeps them above water. I love the majority of WNBA teams and wish I can travel to be in attendance but it is not possible.


As a fan of WCBB myself, I wish every professional opportunity/league that exists (US or international) does well (or well enough)


Still, I do not want this to be an argument so I will end with "to each his own".

 

[DefenseBB]

I did appreciate the article and I absolutely did not mean to devolve this into an argument. I am in agreement with him that the WNBA has been given more than enough opportunities to try to make it viable as a true business. To absolute prove that to all, they need to open their books. This past end of season squabble among the more recognizable players is a case in point that the league, the owners and the players are not on the same page in regards to what is viable.

While Dolan absolutely deserves huge criticism his way over the Knicks/Rangers, I don't see the same to be said about the Liberty. He gave them plenty of opportunities to make money and make the Garden revenue generating. It wasn't and it's not just him. That's why there are only 12 franchises. Given the shear number of quality players that WCBB produces, all 12 franchises should be stocked with plenty of talent and athletes to present a great product but for any number of reasons, the league struggles to get advertising, viewership and attendance.

On the flip side, WCBB attendance is trending up and there are strong pockets of fandom across the country.

Thanks for the post, I know many will appreciate- and probably hate my post that I didn't castigate Dolan (on THIS issue). C'est la vie.

 

[FanFromMaine]

"the sport is not as good as the NBA."

As much as I am not a fan of James Dolan, I think his take on the fans' assessment of the WNBA is accurate. The women's game has much to offer but not giant slams! As with the rise of NFL Red
Zone, it seems that today's fans want continuous highlights.

So the question to me seems to be : does the W want to keep going as a "mini-me" NBA or can the W be okay with an excellent product that has a smaller fan base without NBA-like advertising revenues? If the latter, it would probably mean departing the NBA umbrella and accepting a salary structure that can't ever match the European model. While a modified W would probably lose some American stars for whom the salaries aren't worth the liabilities, the US has such a well of talent that a good product could still be maintained.

 

[SVCBeercats]

I hate James Dolan like few others.

NBA Commissioner David Stern criticized Dolan's management of the Knicks, saying "they're not a model of intelligent management."

 

[JordyG]

So what? One correct assessment about the WNBA hardly excuses the myriad arrogant, selfish, self centered and egregious things he has done in order to completely destroy one of the NBA's seminal franchises and insure that the money and jobs the Olympics would have created for this city was a no go, and assure that one of this cities football teams has to continue to reside in another state and make sure there would be no bigger and better venue for any other franchise to come to this city, and destroy the propect of another income producing venue for the city, and by doing this assure that he'll never have to update the current Knicks venue which looks like an outdated turd, or really improve the Knick as a team. All while continuing to put butts in the seats of MSG beause people in this city love their BB. Let's not not stroke this carpetbagger. This jar of flatulence hasn't done a single positve thing for sports since he was born on a shiny new home plate.