James Dolan insists he will not sell the New York Knicks despite the team’s struggles and his negative perception among the fanbase.
Dolan was involved in a high-profile exchange with a fan over the weekend. He was shown on video banning a fan who heckled him by saying “sell the team.”
Dolan, who oversees the Knicks, has long been a target of fans for running an unsuccessful franchise that has been the subject of media fodder for many years. He went on “The Michael Kay Show” on YES Network Tuesday to address the fan incident and stated clearly he would not sell the Knicks.
James L. Dolan "I am not selling the team, I am not quitting"
— Kay Show on YES (@TMKSonYES) March 12, 2019
Dolan said he probably would not have continued with a ban for the fan until discovering the fan’s intentions were to have a premeditated confrontation.
The Knicks fan James Dolan kicked out from MSG this weekend has been banned from the arena, Dolan says. He says he intended to bring him back and schmooze him but now says he thinks the fan made a pre-meditated confrontation with him so he's now banned. Dolan says he was ambushed
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) March 12, 2019
Dolan is a notoriously thin-skinned owner, and his actions as such reflect poorly on the team. He kicked out a famous actor for being too critical of the team. He called to complain about negative ads aimed at the team two years ago. He even banned a franchise legend from attending games.
Dolan’s actions and censorship style of management is harmful to the team and especially bad for the league as a whole given that they are a flagship franchise.
