Apparently to Dolan, London, England is a backwards thinking city.
Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan, who when we last looked was feuding with the National Basketball Association and will not be present as the New York Knickerbockers owner at NBA Board of Governors meetings because “the NBA neither needs nor wants my opinions”, is not building a Sphere in London, England. Dolan’s company built a Sphere in Las Vegas. The building in Las Vegas hosts concerts and other shows. The National Hockey League will hold the first sort of sports event in the Las Vegas Sphere on June 28th and June 29th with the league’s annual entry draft. Apparently the NHL recognizes Dolan’s contributions to the hockey industry.
Dolan’s company told British officials that it would not be proceeding with its plan to build a Sphere venue in London. MSG, according to company officials, is committed to working with alternative “forward-thinking cities around the world” to build a Sphere. In Dolan’s opinion London, England is not a “forward thinking city”. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said no to the planned 21,500-seat capacity building, 300-foot-tall spherical building because of the negative impact he believed it would have on the area, including high energy use and the “significant light intrusion” it would cause local residents. Dolan’s Sphere would have been built on a five-acre plot of land in Stratford, East London. That site has not been developed even though it was used as a temporary coach park during the 2012 London Summer Olympics. The International Olympic Committee claims it leaves a positive legacy after every Olympic event. It leaves lots of debt and vacant land. Dolan started the London Sphere process in 2019 and it ran into stiff opposition Dolan bought the five-acre site but will now sell the property. It is probably a good bet that Dolan’s Knicks and NHL Rangers won’t be playing anytime soon in London.
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