NJ Sports & Exposition Authority (NJSEA) Chair Raymond
Bateman and President James DiEleuterio, "fighting to keep"
the Nets and Devils in the Meadowlands, sent a letter to
YankeeNets CEO Harvey Schiller, "outlining why they
shouldn't take" the Nets to Newark or Hoboken, according to
Doug Most of the Bergen RECORD. The NJSEA also released a
survey "showing that fans want the teams" at the complex.
Bateman & DiEleuterio wrote, "We believe an arena at the
Meadowlands offers an alternative ... that is less expensive
to build, quicker and easier to build, more popular with the
public, more accessible with better and closer parking, and
most importantly, more financially viable for all parties."
The letter "proposes setting up" a separate company with the
teams and the NJSEA to build, own and operate "a new
Meadowlands arena, something the teams have opposed because
it would cut into their profits." Meanwhile, a survey of
400 adults in 12 northern and central NJ counties conducted
in early February by The Tarrance Group for the NJSEA found
"strong support for keeping the teams" at the complex, as
56% said the Meadowlands was the "best site for a new
arena." That figure is "far more" than the 24% who chose
Newark and 9% who chose Hoboken. The rest "had no preference
or were undecided." Asked if they would be "more or less
likely to attend" a Nets game if the team moved to Newark,
49% said "less likely," 25% said "more likely," while the
rest said it would make no difference (RECORD, 3/10).
