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June 6, 2011
New Jersey Nets intend to provide NBA fans in Brooklyn with cheaper alternative to New York Knicks
NY Daily News
by Stefan Bondy
While the owner of the Knicks is confusing and frustrating his team's supporters, the opposition is gearing up for a run at the city's basketball fan base.
Such is the state of the turf war as an arena rises in Brooklyn, representing the first legitimate threat to the Knicks' territory in 65 years.
The Nets, specifically minority owner Bruce Ratner and CEO Brett Yormark, claim there are enough basketball fans in the city to support two pro teams, professing their respect for the Knicks about a year removed from angering Jim Dolan by hanging a giant billboard above the Garden.
...But there's a reason the Barclays Center was designed to be the Garden's opposite: the Nets want to be the alternative to the Knicks, not their New York City sidekick, and certainly not the same second-class citizen from across the river. There may be a lot of basketball fans in New York, but not as many who will buy tickets and merchandise. And with the Knicks raising their ticket prices about 50% for next season, the Nets are promoting themselves as the cheaper alternative just five miles away.
NoLandGrab: "Cheaper" is a relative term, since the New York Post reported in March that the average Nets ticket price would be $132 and "are expected to be among the NBA’s highest in their inaugural season in Brooklyn."
Posted by eric at June 6, 2011 10:35 AM