oh i remember the place always packed from the late 70s though much of the 80s... there were plenty of fans prior to management losing them. My first game was in 78 so i can't comment before that.
Its true what you say Nassau really F'd up but it was not the voting public that screwed the pooch. If we can try (as hard as it might be) to take off our Islander jerseys and look at this, as objectively as possible, you do understand what a tough position Nassau is in.
A new arena would be great, but today Nassau is truly in danger of not being able to provide the most basic of services. They had to borrow yet again to pay down old debt and other than raising taxes on the already over taxed citizens while also cutting services and reducing (admittedly bloated) costs, Nassau has no real way of getting out of the hole. You cannot ask the homeowner for another penny, even as little as sixty dollars, in this climate.
Nassau would surely lose revenue if the NVMC was to be shuttered but If Nassau was run like a private business they would have to look at the cost of a new arena vs the revenue brought in ( it would be reasonable for any substantial private monies to be offset by some tax breaks reducing this revenue) Then you would have to ask (since the Hub is basically a blank slate) Is an Arena the best use of the property?
Most will not like this but.....One of the mitigating factors that led Nassau down this spiral was the loss of manufacturing jobs. When Grumman, Sperry and Fairchild Republic closed shop so did hundreds if not thousands of satellite companies. Nassau's economy turned from a manufacturing economy to a service economy (The Mall) and service economies do not survive without producing something other than monetery exchange. Nassau should look into using the Hub to lure today's technology companies to creating well paying jobs, tax revenues, etc. seven days a week 52 weeks a year.
Unless Wang sells and a new owner is willing to plunk down a huge amount of private money, Nassau can no longer afford or support, in the manner necessary for todays sports teams to be consistently competitive, the "luxury" of a pro sports franchise.
Nassau county is broke.
The best we can hope for is that, Brooklyn or Queens, we keep the NY in New York Islanders.At least thats the way I see it.
Truly I cannot believe the arguments (if you can even call them that) of a few here saying IF the Isles move to Queens or Brooklyn how they'd lose a significant port of their fanbase.
If that's what you're claiming then I think the real issue is...YOU won't be able to go to the games.
...Because I grew up on Long Island and went to a ton of games growing up, and even my first year out of college when I moved back home. After that I moved to Manhattan and now I go to virtually no games a season. Yet I know a LOT of closet Isles' fans (and hockey fans in general) in the NYC area who would get at least a partial ticket package if the Isles wound up in Brooklyn/Queens.
Now I'm hoping the Isles stay in Nassau because of their "roots" and I don't care that much if I attend live (although if the Isles ever make the Cup I will be there even if it's on the moon). However...No one is going to convince me that Nassau deserves the Islanders to stay after their political games and total ineptitude of the last decade.
All I want from the Isles is:
To stay in the New York area
To get a state of the art/first-class new arena
To get a new owner
To be able to watch them on TV
Short of that, I could give a rats ass where they are located or what the start times are because all of it is better than them moving to Quebec or any other city.
I think we all need to screw our heads on a little tighter and realize what's important here. We have a serious chance of losing the Islanders to another city and I don't think many out there realize how serious this is.
And if the Isles do wind up stay in New York, everyone knows that they could move to Nyack and if they start winning people will go to games. Sure they might lose yo as a fan (and I would question how much of a fan you were if that happened), but they will make new fans if they change location. They key is winning. We average like 10K IN THE PLACE WE PLAYED AS A FRANCHISE SINCE DAY ONE! Why? Wang has turned them into a joke. If they win, people will go...And they will go wherever you have them play.
And if the Isles moving to Queens/Brooklyn costs you to not go to games I certainly feel for you, but your gripe should be with Nassau, not Wang. Instead of posting here, you should write Mangano, Murray, or any other clown-based politician I see out there spouting off at how much they want to keep the Islanders in Nassau, but will not, or cannot, take any viable ACTION to ensure that happens.
I promise I hate Wang as much, if not more, than any of you out there, but if the Isles move from Nassau the lot of you ready to burn crosses should stand outside your local politicians' homes and nowhere else.
The bolded part is truly the main part of any debate but you have to look at who you're dealing with here as those types campaign and vote for Murray, Mangano etc.
It's to the point of amusement and comic relief now. They'll NEVER change. You reap what you sow.
That's fair enough, you're basing your estimation on your experience. I just have a hard time believing that there are more Devils fans in Brooklyn than Isles fans. I feel like it's got to be at least equal taking into account the Isles history and the Devils more recent success, yet somehow that doesn't seem right to me either. That's just based on my experience. My main point was, what miniscule Devils fanbase there is in Brooklyn should not have any effect on whether or not the Isles wind up moving there. It's all about the dominance of the Rangers fanbase (as you pointed out) throughout the Tri-State area and whether or not fans in Nassau and Suffolk will make the commute into Brooklyn to see their team.
But as with all of the other problems this franchise has, winning fixes this. Winning converts fair-weather fans of other teams and hockey newbies. Winning gives incentive for people to go out of there way to catch a game. In a nutshell, winning gets fans into the building.
To me, the split between Isles/Devils fans in Brooklyn is pretty meaningless. There are so few of both in that area that it doesn't even garner the need for a discussion over it. There is only one thing we know for sure... A VAST majority of Islanders fans live in Nassau and Suffolk counties. 95% easily.
While I agree that winning will get people from LI into BK to go to the games, winning isn't something this team has been able to do for a few decades now. Everyone says "winning cures all" like it's easy. Sure, winning does cure all. But you have to take into account all the losing this franchise does.
Winning doesn't just happen. Wang says he will spend more $$$ when he gets his new building/moves to Brooklyn. Ok, that's fine but it still doesn't guarantee winning. Columbus has spent a **** load of money and they are worse off than the Islanders. We also have to remember, when Wang DOES spend money, he gives Alexei Yashin a 10 year contract and throws 15 years at DP in the worst contract in sports history. Wang will spend money... doesn't mean he will spend it in a smart manner.
Its true what you say Nassau really F'd up but it was not the voting public that screwed the pooch. If we can try (as hard as it might be) to take off our Islander jerseys and look at this, as objectively as possible, you do understand what a tough position Nassau is in.
A new arena would be great, but today Nassau is truly in danger of not being able to provide the most basic of services. They had to borrow yet again to pay down old debt and other than raising taxes on the already over taxed citizens while also cutting services and reducing (admittedly bloated) costs, Nassau has no real way of getting out of the hole. You cannot ask the homeowner for another penny, even as little as sixty dollars, in this climate.
Nassau would surely lose revenue if the NVMC was to be shuttered but If Nassau was run like a private business they would have to look at the cost of a new arena vs the revenue brought in ( it would be reasonable for any substantial private monies to be offset by some tax breaks reducing this revenue) Then you would have to ask (since the Hub is basically a blank slate) Is an Arena the best use of the property?
Most will not like this but.....One of the mitigating factors that led Nassau down this spiral was the loss of manufacturing jobs. When Grumman, Sperry and Fairchild Republic closed shop so did hundreds if not thousands of satellite companies. Nassau's economy turned from a manufacturing economy to a service economy (The Mall) and service economies do not survive without producing something other than monetery exchange. Nassau should look into using the Hub to lure today's technology companies to creating well paying jobs, tax revenues, etc. seven days a week 52 weeks a year.
Unless Wang sells and a new owner is willing to plunk down a huge amount of private money, Nassau can no longer afford or support, in the manner necessary for todays sports teams to be consistently competitive, the "luxury" of a pro sports franchise.
Nassau county is broke.
The best we can hope for is that, Brooklyn or Queens, we keep the NY in New York Islanders.
At least thats the way I see it.
Some good points, but the tax hike is going to be high with the lose of the Isles. Also your losing tax revenue from the Marriot next door, as their won't be teams staying there. You're losing revenue from local bars. Alcohol distributors who service the Coliseum lose money. Its a really twisting slope Nassau's facing. Real glum and dark picture for Nassau's immediate future.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OlTimeHockey
Nassau could always make CUTS in spending and pay for a renovation a la Tampa Bay for a lot less than a new arena, THUS protect the revenues Nassau enjoys with the team, concerts and shows that come into Nassau, bringing people who spend money.
But I'm no politician. I have a brain and a soul, like most of our fanbase and the average taxpaying homeowner being robbed by the government right now.
Float a $100M bond and make cuts in police, sanitation and every other service to bring taxes down and SURPRISE, the people would be behind it to protect the local economy. I wasn't on board with the tax hike in August once I looked at how shady the deal could get.
If you're talking about the current renovations that were just done, the new owner paid for them.
To me, the split between Isles/Devils fans in Brooklyn is pretty meaningless. There are so few of both in that area that it doesn't even garner the need for a discussion over it. There is only one thing we know for sure... A VAST majority of Islanders fans live in Nassau and Suffolk counties. 95% easily.
While I agree that winning will get people from LI into BK to go to the games, winning isn't something this team has been able to do for a few decades now. Everyone says "winning cures all" like it's easy. Sure, winning does cure all. But you have to take into account all the losing this franchise does.
Winning doesn't just happen. Wang says he will spend more $$$ when he gets his new building/moves to Brooklyn. Ok, that's fine but it still doesn't guarantee winning. Columbus has spent a **** load of money and they are worse off than the Islanders. We also have to remember, when Wang DOES spend money, he gives Alexei Yashin a 10 year contract and throws 15 years at DP in the worst contract in sports history. Wang will spend money... doesn't mean he will spend it in a smart manner.
But it wouldn't just be Brooklyn based fans coming either. Moving to Brooklyn would make it easier for fans from Manhattan, Jersey, Staten Island and parts of Queens to get to. But yes, of course this is Ranger country and we're probably not talking about enough fans from these places to fill the building on a weeknight.
And damn, if winning were easy everyone would be doing it! Of course, even if Wang opens his wallet, spending money doesn't guarantee success. ****, we've learned that countless times from the Rangers in the last 20 years! But, show a fanbase you're willing to do what is in your power to win, and it can immediately garner more interest in the team. Even some modest success would lead to a boost in attendance. Only 1 team wins the Cup every year, but other teams draw great crowds just based on the possibility that they can go far in the playoffs and perhaps win the whole thing. No, no guarantees. But start doing things right, and at least people start to hope. At the time being, this fanbase doesn't even have that. (And this would work no matter where they host their home games.)
Its true what you say Nassau really F'd up but it was not the voting public that screwed the pooch. If we can try (as hard as it might be) to take off our Islander jerseys and look at this, as objectively as possible, you do understand what a tough position Nassau is in.
A new arena would be great, but today Nassau is truly in danger of not being able to provide the most basic of services. They had to borrow yet again to pay down old debt and other than raising taxes on the already over taxed citizens while also cutting services and reducing (admittedly bloated) costs, Nassau has no real way of getting out of the hole. You cannot ask the homeowner for another penny, even as little as sixty dollars, in this climate.
Nassau would surely lose revenue if the NVMC was to be shuttered but If Nassau was run like a private business they would have to look at the cost of a new arena vs the revenue brought in ( it would be reasonable for any substantial private monies to be offset by some tax breaks reducing this revenue) Then you would have to ask (since the Hub is basically a blank slate) Is an Arena the best use of the property?
Most will not like this but.....One of the mitigating factors that led Nassau down this spiral was the loss of manufacturing jobs. When Grumman, Sperry and Fairchild Republic closed shop so did hundreds if not thousands of satellite companies. Nassau's economy turned from a manufacturing economy to a service economy (The Mall) and service economies do not survive without producing something other than monetery exchange. Nassau should look into using the Hub to lure today's technology companies to creating well paying jobs, tax revenues, etc. seven days a week 52 weeks a year.
Unless Wang sells and a new owner is willing to plunk down a huge amount of private money, Nassau can no longer afford or support, in the manner necessary for todays sports teams to be consistently competitive, the "luxury" of a pro sports franchise.
Nassau county is broke.
The best we can hope for is that, Brooklyn or Queens, we keep the NY in New York Islanders.
At least thats the way I see it.
I agreed with all of this...Then I got to the bolded sentence.
How soon we forget of that 100% privately funded project Wang brought to Nassau. I forget what it was called. Light-something?
Truly I cannot believe the arguments (if you can even call them that) of a few here saying IF the Isles move to Queens or Brooklyn how they'd lose a significant port of their fanbase.
If that's what you're claiming then I think the real issue is...YOU won't be able to go to the games.
...Because I grew up on Long Island and went to a ton of games growing up, and even my first year out of college when I moved back home. After that I moved to Manhattan and now I go to virtually no games a season. Yet I know a LOT of closet Isles' fans (and hockey fans in general) in the NYC area who would get at least a partial ticket package if the Isles wound up in Brooklyn/Queens.
Now I'm hoping the Isles stay in Nassau because of their "roots" and I don't care that much if I attend live (although if the Isles ever make the Cup I will be there even if it's on the moon). However...No one is going to convince me that Nassau deserves the Islanders to stay after their political games and total ineptitude of the last decade.
All I want from the Isles is:
To stay in the New York area
To get a state of the art/first-class new arena
To get a new owner
To be able to watch them on TV
Short of that, I could give a rats ass where they are located or what the start times are because all of it is better than them moving to Quebec or any other city.
I think we all need to screw our heads on a little tighter and realize what's important here. We have a serious chance of losing the Islanders to another city and I don't think many out there realize how serious this is.
And if the Isles do wind up stay in New York, everyone knows that they could move to Nyack and if they start winning people will go to games. Sure they might lose yo as a fan (and I would question how much of a fan you were if that happened), but they will make new fans if they change location. They key is winning. We average like 10K IN THE PLACE WE PLAYED AS A FRANCHISE SINCE DAY ONE! Why? Wang has turned them into a joke. If they win, people will go...And they will go wherever you have them play.
And if the Isles moving to Queens/Brooklyn costs you to not go to games I certainly feel for you, but your gripe should be with Nassau, not Wang. Instead of posting here, you should write Mangano, Murray, or any other clown-based politician I see out there spouting off at how much they want to keep the Islanders in Nassau, but will not, or cannot, take any viable ACTION to ensure that happens.
I promise I hate Wang as much, if not more, than any of you out there, but if the Isles move from Nassau the lot of you ready to burn crosses should stand outside your local politicians' homes and nowhere else.
Great post. I don't care where the Isles play as long as it's in NY and as long as Charles Wang is no longer the owner. As for the argument that Brooklyn is Ranger country, so was Long Island before the Islanders ever showed up. I'd bet anything that a ton of Brooklynites would switch over. Now you're not going to get the diehard Ranger fans to switch, but you will get the casual and new fans simply because of where they play. People from Brooklyn are probably prouder of their borough than anyone else in their city and would love to have a team to represent them.
Some good points, but the tax hike is going to be high with the lose of the Isles. Also your losing tax revenue from the Marriott next door, as their won't be teams staying there. You're losing revenue from local bars. Alcohol distributors who service the Coliseum lose money. Its a really twisting slope Nassau's facing. Real glum and dark picture for Nassau's immediate future.
If you're talking about the current renovations that were just done, the new owner paid for them.
This is why Nassau should be looking into using the Hub to create the only thing that is going to start the process of filling the hole its in, industry. The Islanders are just one manifestation of what happens when any economy depends largely on service. Nassau needs high paying jobs and industry that will spin off smaller companies which will fill the chain (Including service industries such as the Marriott)
In other words Nassau needs to find a way to replace Grumman, Sperry etc which created smaller suppliers and sub contractors, which fed hotels, restaurants, deli's etc and created a daisy chain of jobs and revenue.
I know its not popular and the NVMC does create revenue but the revenue stream is not steady enough and does not create the kind of jobs and revenue that can "feed the chain"
According to someone who I can confirm is 150% in the know, Wang is selling to Russian billionaire who will move the Islanders to Brooklyn.
Should be announced by the end of the weekend.
Hate me or love me, you'll love me now.
BTW: You can close the thread, but it is happening. Source told me that he leads a group of investors who will also invest in Islanders. It is HAPPENING.
If we're talking about the same russian billionaire...
Wanna bet my entire account on it? My source works for Nassau County legislature. I can guarantee you that Wang is selling to this guy. That's how far into the negotiations it is. She told me that Wang was going to keep the land and sell the team, and that is why the Democrats launched a stealth mission at night to keep the referendum from passing.
Which is what I was telling you guys back in August.
According to someone who I can confirm is 150% in the know, Wang is selling to Russian billionaire who will move the Islanders to Brooklyn.
Should be announced by the end of the weekend.
Hate me or love me, you'll love me now.
BTW: You can close the thread, but it is happening. Source told me that he leads a group of investors who will also invest in Islanders. It is HAPPENING.
