Politician calls out MSG's tax-free status after Dolan's run-in with fan
Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan was up to his old tricks over the weekend, apparently banning a New York Knicks fan from the famed arena for suggesting Dolan sell the team.
"Enjoy watching the games on TV," Dolan was recorded telling a heckler after the Knicks' home loss to the Sacramento Kings, according to TMZ. Security then reportedly asked the fan to leave.
New York State Sen. Brad Hoylman chimed in on Twitter, pointing out Sunday that Dolan doesn't pay property taxes for MSG.
Madison Square Garden gets over $40M/year in property tax breaks. If James Dolan wants to treat it as his private stadium & ban fans for merely suggesting he sell a team, then perhaps Albany should take his lead—and redirect those public dollars to Penn Station’s MTA facilities. https://t.co/yw46xPUvWt
— Senator Brad Hoylman (@bradhoylman) March 11, 2019
The 51-year-old arena has been exempt from property taxes since the 1980s, when former New York mayor Ed Koch created the loophole to try to prevent the Knicks and the NHL's Rangers from leaving Manhattan. Dolan inherited control of MSG from his family business in the late '90s.
Threatening to ban people from the arena is nothing new for the billionaire. Two years ago, a season-ticket holder heckled Dolan with a similar demand to sell the Knicks and later said he couldn't renew his tickets. Knicks legend Charles Oakley was also banned from MSG after being forcibly removed from the arena during a game he attended in 2017.