What happens when an ad later turns out to not be true? Do you have to retract it?
The New York Association for Better Choices is an organization founded by the Dolan family (who owns Cablevision, Madison Square Garden, The Theater at the Garden, Radio City Music Hall, News 12, the Knicks, Rangers, and Rockettes) in order to oppose the construction of the West Side football stadium. It’s long been insinuated by many in this city that the Dolans are only interested in stifling competition and putting a stadium on the West Side would mean that the Garden wouldn’t be the premiere venue anymore for entertainment in the city.
With the Knicks being one of the worst teams in the NBA, and the Rangers perennial underachievers, the revenue from the teams is shrinking as attendance is bleak.
But Mayor Bloomberg has always contended that we need the Olympics in this city. I vehemently disagree and don’t want the Olympics anywhere near my damn city, but that’s me. The mayor also contends that in order to make that happen, we have to have the stadium built.
Approximately two days after the mayor officially announced that he would pursue the sale of the railyards to build the stadium in the interest of getting the Olympics in New York City, the New York ABC ran the following ad (click here, and play the Olympics ad).
That ad has been parroted all over the place as the wooden stake through the stadium’s heart. Done, they say. It ain’t gonna happen now, and the mayor looks like a liar.
Does he?
This morning, the Newark Star Ledger reported the following:
05 OLYMPICS
IOC Hints N.Y. Needs Stadium OK
New York’s bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics will be in jeopardy if a proposed West Side stadium isn’t approved before the July 6 vote, two International Olympic Committee executives strongly suggested on Thursday.“We are following (the stadium controversy) very closely,” IOC Evaluation Commission Chairwoman Nawal El Moutawakel said at a midtown Manhattan news conference that concluded the panel’s four-day tour of the city. “We have promises, and hopefully this effort will be successful. Otherwise, it is part of the risk assessment.”
That’s not a very subtle hint on their part, is it? So obviously the mayor was right and to contend in the final selection we do need the Stadium to get started. Should be interesting to see how the Dolan’s start spinning the stadium now that they can’t argue we don’t need it for the OIympics.