May 28, 2004
MSG fires first shot in ad war
It's pretty much unprecedented in the world of stadium battles: A slickly produced TV ad asking "What could New York City do with $600 million?" and listing various items, such as schools and firehouses, that would be better investments than the proposed Jets stadium. (The total public cost of which would actually be closer to $1 billion, counting land acquisition.)
Of course, there's never been a stadium opponent with such deep pockets as this one: The ad was paid for by Cablevision, owners of Madison Square Garden, the Knicks and the Rangers, and the Jets' newest nemesis. Snapped NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg: "There is an allegation that one company in order to protect their own commercial interest is trying to stop jobs coming to this city. That's an outrage." Oh, right - jobs.
