New York Islanders: Barclays Center, Mikhail Prokhorov prove they know nothing about sports
The rumors were whispered earlier in 2016 but no one thought that Barclays owner Mikhail Prokhorov was actually that hell-bent on power that he couldn’t see what was right in front of his face. Well, the damage is now done. It was reported that the New York Islanders may no longer be allowed to play in Barclays after the 2017-18 NHL season due to money.
According to sources:
The arena, which is already home to the NBA’s Nets and one of the world’s top-grossing concert venues, would make more money without the National Hockey League team, according to people familiar with the facility’s financials.
[Mark]
This is where I call bull****. See, I am a Brooklyn Nets fan and frequent Barclays quite often and I have witnessed so many empty seats night after night that it’s better if I just stay home instead of spending my money rooting for a team that has no direction. But, instead of doing something about his beloved Nets, he wants to end the contract of an Islanders team that has done nothing but made the playoffs since they came to Brooklyn. Such a smart move.
What it boils down to is this.
Prokhorov is a greedy ego-manic that thinks about his pockets more than he does the sports scene he supposedly wants to build to rival that of Madison Square Garden. Remember, this is the same guy that put a billboard up over MSG when he first arrived just to tick off Knicks owner James Dolan. He came in ready to spend whatever to make the Nets winners then when they didn’t win he started releasing talent and now has no clue what to do. He offered a hand to the Islanders, hoping that the revenue stream would cover what he was losing due to the Nets but it hasn’t worked out in his favor. All he has gotten for his trouble is a team that is winning. Unlike his Nets.
His ego is so inflated that he never took the time to think that his arena was not built for hockey. When fans get angry, he reacts like a little kid, instead of trying to solve the problem. I understand that concerts bring in greater revenue but so does winning. And since the revenue is so huge, how about you take that extra income and fix the damn arena to accommodate the Islanders fans.
Exclusive: @nyIslanders discuss possible return to Coliseum https://t.co/zJEgG4coEQ via @newsday
— Robert Brodsky (@BrodskyRobert) January 31, 2017
Prokhorov promised the fans suitable accommodations after their team was moved from Long Island, now you are about to leave them homeless where they may have to relocate to Queens or possibly somewhere worse like out of New York altogether. Attendance is down to a little over 12k per game, third in the NHL but a lot of that has to do with the Barclays, not the team in general. The Islanders are the only good thing happening in Barclays and now he wants to end that.
Sorry, Prokhorov but you will never be Dolan on his worst day. He understands what sports mean to this city. You are still wet behind the ears. You’re looking for a team to kick out of Brooklyn, start with the Nets, not the team that’s actually winning.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
