The Democratic Party’s primary process has, at times, been a knock-down, drag-out affair. However, at a time when it seemed that both the country and the Democratic Party could not be more polarized, an interesting thing occurred. Progressives, moderates and Democratic socialists came together in opposition of current billionaire and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
It may be time for New Yorkers to find a way to come together to forge a similar coalition, across political, racial, gender and economic lines, to run New York Knicks Chairman James Dolan out of town.
Dolan recently made headlines after engaging in a very public spat with Spike Lee. Monday night, Lee was caught arguing with Madison Square Garden security before the Knicks faced off against the Houston Rockets.
Now the actual beef seems more like a load of rich people problems than any real, significant issues. On ESPN’s First Take, Lee stated that he entered Madison Square Garden at the same employee entrance he has used for nearly 30 years. His ticket was scanned and he got onto the elevator with others. Lee claims he was then approached by MSG security and asked to get off the elevator. He refused.
“The elevator goes up to [the fifth floor], and security was waiting for me like I just ran out of Macy’s stealing something,” Lee said.
“…They wanted me to leave and walk outside, out to the 33rd Street entrance that I came in and come back on 31st Street (at the VIP entrance). I said, ‘I’m not doing that,’” Lee added.
Lee has been a Knicks season-ticket holder since 1985. He has been the team’s most-prominent and visible fan over the years, supporting the team through thick and thin (and there’s been a lot of thin). He is a beloved staple of ‘The Garden.’
After the release of the video and Lee’s side of the story, the Knicks went into attack mode with the following statement:
“The idea that Spike Lee is a victim because we have repeatedly asked him not to use our employee entrance and instead use a dedicated VIP entrance – which is used by every other celebrity who enters The Garden – is laughable. It is disappointing that Spike would create this false controversy to perpetuate drama. He is welcome to come to The Garden anytime via the VIP or general entrance; just not through our employee entrance, which is what he and Jim agreed to last night when they shook hands.”
The statement was posted alongside a grainy photo of Lee and Dolan shaking hands near Lee’s courtside seat.
“I’m done for the season. I’m done,” Lee stated.
At the time of this column, the Knicks record is 19-42. The team has not reached the playoffs since 2013. The team is on its sixth head coach in that time period. It seems like there should be bigger fish to fry than celebrity entrances.
However, the Knicks are going to Knick. Dolan is the same thin-skinned owner who had former Knicks player and fan-favorite Charles Oakley ejected from the arena and banned over his criticism of the chairman.
Dolan also had a teenage fan removed from the stadium in January for yelling “Sell the Knicks” during a game.
“The commissioner needs to step in and do something, suspend him, something,” Oakley told The Athletic. “He can’t keep getting away with it.
Getting the commissioner to step in for Dolan’s ineptitude is a bit much. However, Knicks fans should find a way to band together and convince Dolan to ban himself for the franchise’s greater good.
According to Forbes, the Knicks franchise is worth a staggering $4.6B. That is for a team that hasn’t won an NBA championship since 1973.
I hear that Bloomberg has recently dropped out of the presidential race after dropping more than $500M on his campaign. If he really wants black New Yorkers to forgive him for stop and frisk, he should drop a check for $6B, or whatever it takes, to get Dolan as far away from the Knicks as possible.
Until Dolan is gone, so too are the Knicks’ chances of building a championship contender.
Snacks savoring the moment
Every so often the internet takes a small break from funny gifs, political spats, fistfights and trolling to celebrate an inspiring and heartwarming moment. That happened this week when the Jackson State Tigers suited up Thomas Lee on Senior Night and set the internet on fire.
Not familiar with the name? That’s because you probably know him by “Snacks.”
According to The Athletic, Lee began delivering candy and other tasty treats to the Jackson State basketball team when he was just six years old. That, and the fact that a few bags of snacks likely went missing on the transfer, helped to earn him the now-famous nickname.
When Lee became old enough to enroll at Jackson State, he was welcomed aboard the basketball program as team manager. His one wish was to suit up with the team for pre-game warmups in one game.
Going into Jackson State’s final home game of the season on Monday night, coach Wayne Bryant decided he would honor “Snacks” by putting him into the game – but only if the team was winning by a large margin late in the second half.
With just two minutes and five seconds remaining in the game, the Tigers led 72-46 over the Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lions. That’s when Lee got the call.
“Snacks” entered the ballgame and the Jackson State crowd went wild. His teammates scrambled to get him the ball. With just over 32 seconds remaining, on his third shot of the game, Lee drilled a Steph Curry-esque long-range three-pointer. The crowd and the Jackson State TV announcers went nuts.
The video went viral and the rest is history.
Lee was excited and grateful for his viral moment. It left him with a memory that he can cherish forever.
“I can always tell someone that I checked into a Division I game and scored,” he said.
That’s not all. Kevin Durant commented on the viral video. “I see u snipe… ❤,” Durant posted.
The Southwestern Athletic Conference also named Lee the SWACMBB Player of the Week.
“The Jackson, Miss. native leads the league in social media views and is a legitimate scoring threat from virtually anywhere on the court,” the SWACC’s social media post read.
That’s what sports are all about.
Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch online at stlamerican.com and on Twitter @ishcreates.
