A New York Knicks fan found himself on the wrong side of an incident involving Madison Square Garden security Tuesday night thanks to his T-shirt that disparaged owner James Dolan.
The fan in question chronicled on Twitter his ejection from MSG because of the shirt in question. According to the Knicks backer, he was approached by arena security about five minutes into Tuesday’s game against the Washington Wizards over how his shirt, which read “Ban Dolan,” violated Madison Square Garden policy concerning fan conduct.
The footage shared on social media shows how MSG security was respectful to the fan during the entire interaction. However, one official can be heard in the video explaining the “Ban Dolan” message on the fan’s shirt constitutes “offensive information.”
According to MSG’s fan code of conduct, a shirt bearing a message that disparages the team and arena owner is apparently “offensive information,” as the security staffer relayed to the fan, though the actual document does not specifically specify as much.
The fan did go on to detail in subsequent tweets his entire experience, including how it’s possible to support a team and dislike its owner, as well as how security was respectful and cordial the entire time.
The issue at hand here more than anything else is Dolan’s presence continuing to create a disconnect between the organization and the team’s passionate, long-dejected fan base.
Under Dolan’s leadership, the Knicks have been arguably the most dysfunctional organization in all of professional sports, and some may argue it’s not even close. Over the years, Dolan has proved incapable of even getting along with franchise legends and A-list superfans.
What’s more, it was just last year he engaged in a contentious feud with a prominent New York congressman who was hypercritical of Dolan’s arguably disastrous run as team owner.
In other words, the fan’s ejection from MSG on Tuesday night is simply more of the same for the Knicks, even if his heave-ho was perhaps not orchestrated by Dolan.
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