An artist's rendition of how the West Side Stadium would have looked.

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The West Side Stadium (also known as the New York Sports and Convention Center) was a proposed football stadium to be built on a platform over the rail yards on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was to be the new home for the New York Jets, currently based at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The stadium was to have served as the centerpiece of New York's bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but, after heated debate, the proposal was finally defeated politically only a month before the International Olympic Committee was to make its decision. Picture of the Propose West Side Stadium in Manhattan. ... Picture of the Propose West Side Stadium in Manhattan. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... Telstra Stadium in Sydney, Australia is capable of being converted from a rectangular rugby football field to an oval for cricket and Australian rules football games A modern stadium (plural stadiums or stadia in English) is a place, or venue, for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts or other events, consisting of... West Side or Westside may refer to: West Los Angeles Westside, Iowa An area in West Lafayette, Indiana An area in Chicago, Illinois An Area in St. ... The Borough of Manhattan, highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ... Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... City East Rutherford, New Jersey Other nicknames Gang Green Team colors Green and White Head Coach Eric Mangini Owner Robert Wood Johnson IV General manager Mike Tannenbaum League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960-1969) Eastern Division (1960-1969) National Football League (1970–present) American Football Conference (1970-present) AFC... Giants Stadium, also called The Meadowlands, is the home stadium for the New York Giants and New York Jets NFL football teams, and Red Bull New York (formerly MetroStars) of Major League Soccer. ... Map highlighting East Rutherfords location within Bergen County. ... The New York City 2012 Olympic bid was one of the five short-listed bids for the 2012 Summer Olympics, ultimately won by London 2012. ... Bold textralf is gay IOC redirects here. ...

The site was to link the transportation, hotel and business hub centered on Herald Square and Madison Square Garden with the Jacob J. Javits Convention Center. It was promoted by New York Governor George Pataki, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Congressman Charles Rangel, but opposed by most of the local elected officials representing the area. The centerpiece of the city's bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the stadium would have been part of a larger project to revitalize a long-underdeveloped area, including an expansion of the Javits Center and the 7 Subway Extension. It was going to host Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. Categories: Stub | Manhattan ... Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, known colloquially simply as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City, United States. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... George Elmer Pataki (born June 24, 1945) is the current Governor of New York State, USA serving since January 1995, and as of late 2006 is the longest-serving of all current U.S. governors. ... Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is a prominent American businessman, the founder of Bloomberg L.P., and the current Mayor of New York City. ... Charles Bernard Rangel Charles Bernard Rangel (born June 11, American politician. ... The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, will be held in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012. ... Blight often stands side-by-side with new structures during urban renewal efforts. ... The 7 Subway Extension — Hudson Yards Rezoning and Development Program refers to the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authoritys (MTA) plans to extend the IRT Flushing Line, which carries the 7 service, westward from its current terminus at Times Square, adding two new stations at 10th Avenue–43rd Street... Super Bowl XLIV will be the 44th Super Bowl, the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL) between the National Football Conference (NFC) and American Football Conference (AFC) champions. ... For the film, see 2010: The Year We Make Contact. ...

Controversy

The stadium proved highly controversial because it would have been a major construction project requiring public financing. Though many of its opponents supported the larger West Side development program, they questioned the economic benefit of a stadium which would have spent much of its time unused, as well as the general premise of subsidizing a football team which generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Opponents felt that the budget could be better spent on mixed-use facilities. Supporters of the stadium said the cost to the city (over $1 billion) was an investment and would create thousands of jobs and billions in commercial revenue for the area, perhaps leading to increased tax revenue that could be used for vital infrastructure. However, powerful city unions, including the Uniformed Firefighters Association and the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, argued that the inevitable tax-breaks for the stadium's developers would cut sharply into State funds that should instead have gone to salary increases. In economics, a subsidy is generally a monetary grant given by a government to lower the price faced by producers or consumers of a good, generally because it is considered to be in the public interest. ... Patrolmens Benevolent Association or PBA is the name of several labor unions representing police officers. ...

Public opinion was mixed. Some citizens of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut were in favor of the stadium because they wanted the 2012 Summer Olympics to be held in New York City. In order to host the Olympics, cities typically must build modern stadiums and prove to the International Olympic Committee that they have the resources to support the event. Moreover, many residents outside Manhattan could have gained considerable money by renting out their homes or apartments during the Olympics. Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, will be held in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012. ... Bold textralf is gay IOC redirects here. ...

But many Manhattan and West Side residents did not want the hassle, traffic congestion, and resource drain that the Olympics would inevitably bring to the already overcrowded city. The New York Daily News reported that 59% of New Yorkers were not in favor of holding the Olympics in New York at all. Many Jets fans wanted the stadium built, no matter what the cost, while some New York Giants fans opposed the stadium solely because they disliked the rival Jets. Daily News Building, Raymond Hood, architect, rendering by Hugh Ferriss. ... This article is about the current National Football League team. ...

The stadium was also notably opposed by Cablevision, the sixth-largest cable television company in the United States and the owner of Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks and New York Rangers teams that play there, and the MSG Network which shows most of their games. A major new Manhattan sports venue might have threatened Cablevision's ability to secure major concerts and other events for the Garden, especially if the stadium had in fact been built with a retractable roof. For other uses, see Cablevision (disambiguation). ... Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, known colloquially simply as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City, United States. ... For the 19th century baseball team, see New York Knickerbockers. ... The New York Rangers (NYR) are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City, New York, U.S.A.. They play in the National Hockey League (NHL). ... The Madison Square Garden Network, more commonly referred to as the MSG Network or simply as MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the New York City area. ...

The controversy spawned an unusual political ad war on local television, with rival campaigns financed by the owners of the Jets and Cablevision. Proponents of the stadium said that the opposition ran deceptive television and radio ads claiming that a large multi-organizational coalition opposes the stadium, while many of these ads were funded by Cablevision (the ads generally restated arguments of the PBA and other unions). Cablevision said it was presenting arguments other groups had actually made, and was within its legal rights in refusing to run advertisements supportive of the stadium on its local cable systems, while running many ads criticizing it.

The New York Yankees were also displeased, because they had tried for many years to build a stadium on virtually the same site before conceding defeat and reaching a deal to remain in the Bronx. Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 23, 32, 37, 44, 49 Name New York Yankees (1913–present) New York Highlanders (1903-1912) Baltimore Orioles (1901-1902) (Also referred to as Americans...

The rail yards are owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which originally negotiated privately with the Jets without seeking other possible buyers. After Cablevision presented a rival proposal for West Side development without a stadium, public sentiment against an apparent no-bid contract for the Jets prompted the MTA to establish an open bidding process for the site. There were three bids, from the Jets, from Cablevision and from Transgas, a power company. On March 31, 2005, the MTA board voted to accept the bid from the Jets, even though the Cablevision bid included more cash up front. Attorneys for Cablevision announced that they would file suit to challenge the decision, and many other media outlets lambasted the MTA's decision as simply doing Governor Pataki's bidding rather than accepting a plan that would best serve the public. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the State of New York. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Cablevision (disambiguation). ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In a show of disgust, the owners of pro-stadium site www.westsidestadium.com auctioned the naming rights of the rail yards on eBay, which were bought for $0.01, not including an eBay shipping and handling charge, by Dan Angell. Angell elected to name it The Mike Angell Center at Dan the Man Land, but the name is not recognized by anyone but Angell and the site's owners. Still, the website has officially recognized it by Angell's chosen name since the auction ended, as shown at http://www.westsidestadium.org/content/newsarchives/auctionends.htm

The stadium issue was also a political issue, as 2005 was an election year. Some individuals, most notably mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner suggested another location in Queens, which has large open spaces and is home to other sports facilities such as Shea Stadium, as a possible alternative site for a stadium, but the Jets said that any site other than the West Side would be no better than remaining in New Jersey. Rep. ... Queens Borough in New York City, in yellow This article is about the New York City borough. ...

Two components of the stadium plan ($300 million in state funding and the MTA's transfer of the land) were subject to the approval of the state's Public Authorities Control Board. The Board's approval could be given only on a unanimous vote of its three members, who were representatives of New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, and Pataki. On June 6, 2005, Silver and Bruno directed their representatives to abstain on the vote, thus denying the needed approval and scuttling the proposal (Pataki's representative voted in favor). The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York Legislature body of the state of New York. ... Sheldon Silver Sheldon Silver (born February 13, 1944) is a politician and member of the United States Democratic Party, currently serving as Speaker of New York State Assembly. ... The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. ... Joseph L. Bruno Joseph L. Bruno (born April 8, 1929) is an American businessman and politician. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining // 1508 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year truce and cede several territories to Venice 1513... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Also on June 6, the International Olympic Committee released an evaluation of each city's bid, in which it noted that the New York City bid could not guarantee that the stadium would be available. With the defeat of the West Side Stadium plan, Mayor Bloomberg and the New York 2012 campaign shifted their focus to the construction of a new Mets ballpark, Citi Field, as the centerpiece to the Olympic bid, but the 2012 games were eventually awarded to London. Citi Field is the new Major League Baseball stadium for the New York Mets to be built in Willets Point, in the New York City borough of Queens, as a replacement for Shea Stadium, which was constructed in 1964 adjacent to the site of the 1964 Worlds Fair. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

In reaction to the state representatives' decision to reject the stadium's funding, the NFL decided on August 11 to reopen the bidding for the game site of Super Bowl XLIV. The eventual winner was Miami. Miami redirects here. ...

See also

• Brooklyn Nets Arena, a proposal for a sports, business, and residential complex over the MTA's Atlantic Yards
• New York City mayoral election, 2005 where the stadium issue is discussed by all of the candidates

The Brooklyn Nets Arena is a proposed sports arena to be built partly on a platform over the Metropolitan Transportation Authority-owned Atlantic Yards at Atlantic Avenue in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. ... The New York City mayoral election of 2005 occurred on Tuesday November 8, 2005, with incumbent Republican mayor Michael Bloomberg defeating former Bronx borough president Fernando Ferrer, the Democratic nominee. ...

References

• "Jets release plans for West Side stadium", USA Today, May 18, 2004 (with image of proposed stadium)
• "Olympic Bid Hurt as New York Fails in West Side Stadium Quest", New York Times, June 7, 2005

USA Today is a national American newspaper published by the Gannett Corporation. ... May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

External links

• A Stadium Story - Documentary Chronicling The Clash Over The West Side Stadium
• Another site speculating on the stadium
• List of stadium supporters
• Cablevision web page