He’s one of Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan’s biggest critics, but this far lefty pol learned firsthand that he’s still not important enough to be banned from the “World’s Most Famous Arena.”
State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal wanted to see just how far Dolan — who has come under fire for authorizing the controversial use of facial recognition technology to keep enemies out of MSG and other venues he owns — carries a grudge.
So he bought himself a ticket to Thursday’s Knicks game against the Miami Heat.
The Manhattan Democrat and Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, who is co-sponsoring a bill in Albany that would end Dolan’s bizarre practice, also recently urged the NBA and NHL to issue sanctions against the Knicks and Rangers owner unless he stops using facial recognition for non-security purposes.
Dolan, in response, fumed on FOX 5’s Good Day New York about Hoylman-Sigal and other pols being media-hungry and “jumping on the bandwagon” against him instead of addressing New York’s real problems, including the need for “bail reform.”
Hoylman-Sigal attended the Knicks-Heat game with a reporter from Gothamist tagging along to record his every move. He attributed the self-created dog-and-pony show to him hearing through the grapevine that he had somehow made it onto Dolan’s so-called blacklist.
At least four attorneys have been ejected from venues owned by Madison Square Garden Entertainment — which owns Radio City Music Hall and the Beacon Theatre as well as the self-proclaimed “World’s Most Famous Arena” — because they worked for firms involved in litigation against the company.
Hoylman-Sigal admitted feeling nervous heading towards security at MSG’s Eighth Avenue entry gate at 34th Street. As he and the reporter neared the front of the line, they saw security cameras atop a metal scanner.
Hoylman-Sigal took his keys and wallet out of his pockets, dropped them in a bin, and then stared into the security camera before walking through the security scanning device, according to the outlet.
But nothing happened.
“I think we’ve officially made it in,” Hoylman-Sigal boasted.
As time passed, the pol realized no MSG goons were coming to boot him out. Instead, he munched on popcorn while watching a riveting game from cheap seats atop the arena.
“Maybe MSG has reformed its practice, or maybe I don’t rise to the level of anyone’s threat, which is probably more likely,” he conceded to Gothamist.
“Great arena, wonderful crowd. Exciting game. No one should be afraid to come to Madison Square Garden,” Hoylman-Sigal said.
On a positive note, maybe the staunch Dolan critic brought the Knicks some desperately needed luck: they held off the hated Heat 106-104 to end a two-game losing streak.
“Glad to see he enjoyed his experience at the Knicks game and at MSG, as millions of fans do every year. He should come more often,” an MSG spokesperson said in a statement.
