Jewish World Review April 16, 2003 / 14 Nissan, 5763
Evan Weiner
How a lonely city council member could change how the sports world operates
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com |
New York City Council minority whip Dennis Gallagher may cause
some problems for NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, NBA
commissioner David Stern and Madison Square Garden owner
Charles Dolan if his proposal ever comes to law.
Gallagher thinks Dolan's Madison Square Garden complex ought
to return to New York City's taxrolls and pay some $11 million
in annual property taxes which might be used to keep open eight
firehouses. Gallagher's thinking runs contrary to sports
commissioners, particularly Bettman who has been trying to
persuade local politicians in Montreal and Ottawa that those
municipalities should do what New York did some 20 years ago,
suspend property tax payments so that teams like the Knicks and
Rangers can spend millions to hire athletes to entertain.
The Canadian politicians haven't bought Bettman's argument. Now
Bettman, Stern and Dolan have a problem, what if Gallagher's
proposal has legs and Madison Square Garden has to pay
property taxes?
Gallagher's proposal could change the way
sports operates --- and that's not good news for Bettman and his
associates.
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JWR contributor Evan Weiner is a radio commentator on "The Business
of Sports" for Westwood One's Metro Networks. He is being presented with the United States Sports Academy's Distinguished Service Award for 2003. Comment on this column by clicking here.
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© 2003, Evan Weiner
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