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September 6, 2007
Jets-Giants Stadium Hoopla
The Giants and Jets unveiled plans for their new, shared stadium at the Meadowlands yesterday to the usual hoopla and fanfare.
Two interesting Nets arena items to note in the coverage:
TOTALLY NON-SCIENTIFIC READER POLL
Newsday is hosting a non-scientific online poll asking readers which new stadium they're most excited about.
This item was sent in by an NLG reader who posited that, "The Mets' new place is the runaway favorite, maybe because Mets telecasts constantly show the progress and harp on it."
Barely escaping last place for fan interest (the Devils arena in Newark is exciting exactly 1% of Newsday readers) is Bruce Ratner's plan for a new Nets arena.
Since Newsday is a Long Island paper, it makes some sense that more fans are excited about a new Islanders facility, even though it's still on a wish list. Regardless, that means many folks find an imaginary Islander arena far more exciting than Frank Gehry's high-tech futurama. The Nets' front office and the Ratner hypemachine can't be too happy about that, since, ultimately, if the team moves to Brooklyn, they'll have to replace much of the NJ fan base with new fans from the Island.
Call it a hunch, but we get the sense that many Forest City Ratner employees will be spending their lunchbreaks in the virtual voting booth, so here's the link.
LUKEWARM
In a paragraph about stadiamania, NY Times reporter Richard Sandomir doesn't express full confidence that the NJ Nets will make it to Brooklyn:
It is the newest local sports project after decades without construction: the Devils’ Newark arena will open next month; the Mets and the Yankees are building ballparks that are expected to open in 2009; construction of the Red Bulls’ stadium is underway in Harrison, N.J.; and the Nets still anticipate building an arena near downtown Brooklyn.
NoLandGrab: Hey, we're just amazed when a reporter doesn't repeat Ratner's contention that the arena is really, really going to open in time for the 2009-2010 season.
Posted by lumi at September 6, 2007 7:48 AM