Mercifully, the 2018 season for the New York Liberty at the Westchester County Center in White Plains has come to a close.
To say that this season has been a trying one for the Liberty has been an understatement. Transitioning from a 22-12 season in 2017 at Madison Square Garden to a 2018 season where they will have a chance to pick first in next season’s draft, plus a first-year head coach, plus uncertainty about the sale and new arena is a lot to say the least.
This season has precipitated its fair share of questions about if Katie Smith is the answer as head coach long term for the Liberty. It has also produced questions on if it is time for the team to undergo a rebuild for the future with other teams having leap-frogged New York.
But there is little question that the white elephant in the room is the venue at White Plains that is nearly a century old that has a capacity of a mere 2,300. Removing the fact that at least the arena is still in the New York City media market, and that it produces an atmosphere similar to what one would see at a college venue, the verdict on the County Center is in.
The Westchester County Center should never be uttered again in the same breath as Cameron Indoor Stadium. That’s an Undisputed/First Take-level hot take @WNBAinsidr #WNBA
— Pat Ralph (@Pat_Ralph) August 13, 2018
I would really love to hear some of the Duke alumnae in the league weigh in on whether the comparison of Westchester County Center to Cameron is reasonable.
— another Rebecca on the Internet (@NYCScribbler) August 13, 2018
There are longtime Liberty fans who’ve dealt with being ignored/taken for granted by MSG Co., made the 3-year trek to Prudential Center, and have endured this dispiriting season at Westchester County Center. I’m sorry; you all deserve better. But your loyalty is commendable.
— Mechelle Voepel (@MechelleV) August 12, 2018
And that verdict is guilty.
The charges that have been leveled against the Westchester County Center have ranged from an obstructed view of the court, to cramped locker rooms, to simply being a D-grade venue that devalues the entire WNBA, particularly given it is in the nation’s top media market.
The speculation on what the next phase of the Liberty will be has heightened in recent days. When the Liberty played its second of two contests this season at Madison Square Garden, former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton was in attendance.
Of course, with all the uncertainty swirling about the team sale, the lightbulbs of WNBA fans clicked on and thought that she may be a possible candidate to purchase the team. She treated the speculation as if it was a surprise when speaking to High Post Hoops, but since any and all Liberty suitors are operating under non-disclosure agreements, she cannot simply say that she will go and buy the team.
Adam Silver and Lisa Borders were also at a recent game between the Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks at the County Center. Then, they did an interview with Elite Sports New York where they talked about the Liberty – and heaped a mountain of praise on the County Center as if it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
The biggest comparison that was made by both Silver and Borders was how it provided an atmosphere similar to that at Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke. Both Silver and Borders are alums of Duke.
This appears to be a very short-sighted view of the situation on the part of Silver and Borders. There are eight months between now and the start of the next WNBA season. Eight months, one would think, would be more than enough time to scour the New York/New Jersey area to find alternative venues either in or closer to New York City where more Liberty fans can attend.
The bulk of the Liberty’s fanbase is in the New York City area, and it was that fanbase that got the Liberty in the top half of WNBA attendance when they were playing at the Mecca.
I am not one of those people who believes that if the team were to relocate to a larger and more state-of-the-art venue in another city that it would be better overall. The bottom line is the WNBA needs New York and New York needs the WNBA.
That being said, I highly doubt the Liberty move out of New York. The league will not let an original franchise in the same city as its headquarters leave the biggest market in the country @WNBAinsidr #WNBA
— Pat Ralph (@Pat_Ralph) August 12, 2018
These have also been my sentiments all along and I am sticking to them.
That said, with there being more than enough time to find a new arena for the Liberty given that they stay in the New York City area, let us take a look at some possible alternative venues that may hold larger capacities and could be more accessible for fans.
Madison Square Garden
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
MSG is the most obvious, and possibly the most popular if one were to poll the vast majority of Liberty fans. As long as the Liberty are under the MSG umbrella, it would make sense for them to play at MSG’s flagship venue, right?
The knock against MSG that has been peddled by James Dolan, as well as Silver and Borders, is that it is too “expensive” to host games at MSG. The Knicks alone are worth $3 billion, and one wonders how all of a sudden of how the Mecca became too expensive.
Barclays Center
Photo Credit: David Dow/Getty Images
This one may be more contingent on a sale more than anything else as the idea of a Dolan-owned franchise playing games at the Brooklyn Nets’ arena may be too much to ask for.
Granted – Barclays does have many of the same capabilities as does MSG, particularly in terms of its accessibility. What both MSG and Barclays have in common is that they operate as part stadia, part transit hubs.
Prudential Center
Photo Credit: Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-Ledger
Liberty fans know all about the Pru too well as it was the Libs’ home court for three seasons while MSG was undergoing renovations.
Yes, it is a larger venue with much better facilities than the County Center by a country mile. Its Newark, New Jersey location may leave much to be desired. In fact, the Pru may actually be a closer drive from New York City than the County Center currently is.
Nassau Coliseum
Photo Credit: Kevin P. Coughlin/ALL Island Aerial
This one comes with its fair share of pros and cons. Nassau Coliseum is, again, another arena that has a much larger seating capacity than that of the County Center.
The drive to Nassau Coliseum from New York City is also around the same time as it is to White Plains. With the Islanders set to move to a planned arena at Belmont Park in a few years, one would think there would be some use for the Coliseum instead of simply sitting there collecting dust.
Carnesecca Arena
Photo Credit: Amanda Negretti/The Torch
Remember when we at first thought that the County Center would be a venue that would seat 5,000 and it turned out that its capacity was actually roughly half of what was advertised?
The Carnesecca Arena on the campus of St. John’s University actually does seat 5,000. Even better for the Liberty’s fanbase – it is located in Queens. A venue that has twice the capacity of the County Center and is located within one of New York’s five boroughs, meaning this one could be a popular pick to click among Lib Loyals.
Hofstra Arena
Photo Credit: James Escher
We are heading back to the Hempstead-Nassau County area for this one.
The David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex – referred to as The Mack – in short is another 5,000-seater out on Long Island. Of course, the question is it would be suitable in terms of a facility in comparison to the Nassau Coliseum.
Plus as it is on Long Island, the same questions in terms of distance apply as they do to Nassau Coliseum.
Meadowlands Arena
Photo Credit: Meghan Grant/NorthJersey.com
The Meadowlands area of East Rutherford, New Jersey already plays host to two New York teams that actually play within New Jersey. What is the possibility the Liberty could join them once again?
The problem with Meadowlands Arena goes past distance. The arena was closed in 2015 by the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority as a result of its major tenants having relocated to other venues in the New York-New Jersey area. Its primary use now is as a rehearsal hall for major acts such as Justin Timberlake and Rihanna to hold closed-door rehearsal sessions.
Through an agreement with Prudential Center, the former Izod Center cannot host events through December without the Pru’s consent. That is well before the tip-off the 2019 season.
Rose Hill Gymnasium
Photo Credit: Stacy Podelski/1495Sports
This one is a classic case of advantage location, but disadvantage capacity.
At 3,200 seats, it only has a capacity that is a bit more than that of the Westchester County Center. Given that it is on Fordham University’s Rose Hill campus, it makes for a much more desirable commute than driving or taking Metro-North’s Harlem line to White Plains. Fordham, in the past, has also hosted Liberty Youth Basketball Clinics.
The purpose of mentioning these arenas was to highlight existing venues which is why the proposed arena in Belmont Park was not mentioned.
It also serves a second purpose: to urge the WNBA and NBA to realize that the Westchester County Center must only be looked at as a last resort. If all other options have been exercised and all that is left is White Plains, then so be it because the primary directive should be to ensure the Liberty stay in the New York area.
But in sports, as in life, you sometimes are only as good as your weakest link – and those far and wide have let it be known that they believe the County Center is, without a doubt, the WNBA’s weakest link despite being in one of its strongest markets.
As a league that is on the rise, it should always be striving for better. And if better is attainable – and it is in this case – to ensure its flagship franchise has a home suitable of where the WNBA wants to be, that should be the aim.
Eight months is a long time between now and the 2019 tip-off. If there are better options out there than the County Center, then there is no shame in exercising those options.
By: Akiem Bailum (@AkiemBailum on Twitter, Instagram)
