Knicks’ fan yells at James Dolan “sell the team.” Dolan confronts fan, has him ejected
https://sports.yahoo.com/knicks-fan-yells-james-dolan-040036673.html
James Dolan is known for a lot of things. Having a thick skin is not one of them.
The Knicks had an early noon Saturday start against the Kings (that time works better for overseas markets), and once the West Coast team got used to the morning start it pulled away and beat New York. After the game, Dolan was among the people walking out from courtside seats when a fan yelled, “sell the Knicks!”
That didn’t end well for the fan. Of course this was being videoed, and of course TMZ got ahold of it.
According to the report, at this point the fan was held until two police officers and some security guards came over, they checked the ID of the fan then tossed him. Madison Square Garden released a statement to TMZ saying, “Our policy is and will continue to be that if you are disrespectful to anyone in our venues, we will ask you not to return.”
There is a certain amount of “don’t poke the bear” here. You call out Dolan, you have to know you run the risk of his ire.
That said, if Dolan ejected everyone who called him out at Knicks games half of Manhattan would be banned from Madison Square Garden.
Knicks fans have dreamed of Dolan selling the Knicks for more than a decade now, and while there are the occasional rumors, all the evidence points to him enjoying the status and prestige that comes with owning the Knicks and not wanting to give that up. Plus the value of the franchise keeps going up no matter how he manages it, so why would he get out of the Knicks business?
Watch Knicks owner James Dolan ban fan from MSG during Kings’ win
Watch Knicks owner James Dolan ban fan from MSG during Kings‘ win originally appeared on nbcsportsbayarea.com
The Kings played a small part in one New York Knicks fan’s misery Saturday.
De’Aaron Fox led Sacramento to a 102-94 win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, but that was not the biggest L this fan took. As Knicks owner James Dolan walked off the court, a TMZ video showed a fan telling him to sell the team.
Dolan then told the fan to take a hike … for good.
“You want to not come to any more games?” Dolan asked the fan.
“It’s an opinion!”
“No, it’s not an opinion and … you know what? Enjoy watching them on TV,” Dolan exclaimed as he walked away.
Two police officers then took the fan’s ID, and ultimately asked him to leave, witnesses told TMZ. An MSG spokesperson told TMZ that their “policy is and will continue to be that if you are disrespectful to anyone in our venues, we will ask you not to return.”
Knicks fans have a … contentious relationship with Dolan, the son of Cablevision founder Charles Dolan and lead singer of JD & The Straight Shot. Many are vocal about wanting him to sell the team, but the Knicks repeatedly have shot down speculation that Dolan wants to sell the team.
[RELATED: What we learned in Kings’ matinee win at MSG]
It’s a situation to which Kings fan can relate. The Maloofs weren’t beloved in California’s capital, as the Kings quickly fell from their status as perennial contenders to consistent pretenders and the family tried to sell the team to a Seattle-based ownership group. That effort felt after the NBA owners would not approve the Kings’ relocation in 2013, and the sale to the Vivek Ranadivé-led ownership group was approved in May of that same year.
Knicks fans currently have no such hope, but perhaps the banned fan will use this as an opportunity to cut ties with the hapless franchise. You know, the Kings are on the rise …
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