Knicks' owner James Dolan allegedly tells disgruntled fan 'the Knicks don't want you,' root for the Nets Dolan allegedly directed his email to the father of filmmaker Aaron Bierman, who had written about being ‘utterly embarrassed’ by his handling of the team, according to Deadspin. ‘You are a sad person. Why would anybody write such a hateful letter. I am.just guessing but ill bet your life is a mess and you are a hateful mess,’ Dolan said in the typo-filled email. BY Stephen Rex Brown NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Sunday, February 8, 2015, 12:28 PM New York Knicks owner James Dolan encouraged one fan to root for the Nets because ‘the Knicks dont want you,’ according to an email. Personal foul! A longtime Knicks fan’s plea to James Dolan to sell the franchise was met with a spiteful response from the team owner himself — including a suggestion the 73-year-old “start rooting for the Nets because the Knicks dont want you.” The owner, who has long had a reputation for meddling in the team, mismanaging talent and running a paranoid, dysfunctional organization, wrote the out-of-bounds missive last month in response to Brooklyn native Irving Bierman’s passionate email. “As a Knicks fan for in excess of 60 years, I am utterly embarrassed by your dealings with the Knicks. Sell them so their fans can at least look forward to growing them in a positive direction,” Bierman wrote, citing the awful years with Isiah Thomas at the helm, Phil Jackson’s disastrous first year as president of the team and the failure to sign Steve Kerr as head coach. Bierman continued: “You have done a lot of utterly STUPID business things with the franchise. Please NO MORE.” The email’s subject was “I have been a knicks fan since 1952” and was signed, “Respectfully, Irving Bierman.” Less than an hour after sending the email, Dolan replied with a typo-riddled rant. “Mr. Bierman You are a sad person. Why would anybody write such a hateful letter. I am just guessing but ill bet your life is a mess and you are a hateful mess. What have you done that anyone would consider positive or nice. I am betting nothing.” Mike Spencer/for New York Daily News Irving Bierman poses with a basketball signed by former New York Knicks basketball player Walt Frazier in his Myrtle Beach, S.C., home on Sunday. The billionaire owner wasn’t done there. “You most likely have made your family miserable. Alcoholic maybe. I just celebrated my 21 year anniversary of sobriety. You should try it,” he wrote. “Maybe it will help you become a person that folks would like to have around. In the mean while start rooting.for the Nets because the Knicks dont want you.” It was signed “Respectfully James Dolan.” Bierman’s filmmaker son, Aaron, shared the give-and-go exchange, which was first posted on Deadspin. Aaron said his dad simply wrote what countless fans would love to tell Dolan — whose Knicks are 10-41 — to his face. “Dolan’s response just showed how close to home my dad’s points landed,” Aaron said. “The state of the Knicks is just an embarrassment. At some level, Dolan knows he’s responsible for their failures and that’s got to be a painful pill to swallow.” Irving Bierman — who hung a Clyde Frazier poster in his son’s room when he was a baby — was stunned at Dolan’s reply. “I felt insulted. I felt slighted,” said Bierman, now retired and living in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He hasn’t had a drink since he was 18. “He has the audacity to tell me to become a Nets fan — you got to be kidding me! He gets belligerent because I expressed an opinion. It’s a valid opinion!” Bierman said. His disgust with Dolan’s stewardship of the franchise had been brewing for years. “He took an extraordinary franchise and destroyed it. It kept getting worse and worse,” he said. A Knicks spokesman had no comment on the exchange. A source close to the Nets said, “It’s clear that Mr. Dolan didn’t go through Disney training,” referencing the extensive training Nets employees go through in the area of hospitality. Bierman said he hoped Dolan took away one thing above all else: He should sell the team. “Get out of the Knickerbockers. Walk away from them. We don’t want you,” Bierman said. “There’s a Little League baseball team in Long Island that needs someone like Dolan.” With Mitch Abramson __________________________________________________________________________________________ Dolan with that totally uncalled for "alcoholic" swipe really showed himself in a bad light considering the fact that Dolan himself checked in at the Hazelden clinic in Center City, Minnesota in 1993. Good for him that he did so. Unbelieveably hypocritical and low-rent that he would have the gall to say such a thing. As for Bierman, good for him - man loves his Knickerbockers. Bierman shares a striking resemblance to Mardy "Igor" Feldman.
How dare that fan express an opinion about how his team has been run into the ground by inept ownership! He makes the entire Knicks fanbase look bad with this email. Dolan was right. This guy should go root for another team because the Knicks have been a model of efficiency and this guy has no right to criticize. If he was a true fan, he would support the Knicks unconditionally no matter how long. What's next? Billboards and planes flying over MSG? How about a website: FireJamesDolan.com Some fans have real nerve !!!! rant over.. Carry on..
Since you would never expect Dolan to reply, something really got under his skin. I'm betting its the reference to his father and the further innuendo that he hasn't earned anything that his father didn't give him. This is probably a deep-seated psychological issue for him. Therefore, if you want some laughs, yell something about this if you ever see him and watch him lose it. That is, if you're that sort of guy
Dear Woody, y do u own the NYJ? u R a disgrace.. this jan marked 46 years since JWN & WE won the SB with our NYJs. In my book that = failure. Sell the team to WM or DR so maybe they can win one with the NYJs. - Champ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Champ, OMG? Y R U so mean? I am trying, it's really HARD. BTW: Who is WM or DR? R they interested in PSLs? Luv, Woody
Dolan is an idiot, I am so thankful the Dolan's didn't get the Jets in 2000 as they were a finalist BUT w/ that said the fan is a moron too. he writes a silly, attacking letter and expects someone to be nice in return as if they will get his letter and take all of his recommendations. The fan and the owner should both feel incredibly embarrassed today.
Nothing moronic or silly about it. A 63 year customer has seen the organization he has patronized for most of his life go down the tubes. He may not expect anything to change but he certainly has the right, maybe even the obligation, to tell the people running the company how he feels about their failing him. So what happens? Instead of thanking him for his business and his concerns and assuring him management is also unhappy and is working towards making things better, the CEO denigrates the message and makes totally unfounded and probably libelous charges that the guy is an alcoholic. Dolan certainly should be embarrassed and should probably consider that he is not equipped to be running that organization. He should also issue a very public apology and get some lawyers working on heading off the defamation lawsuit. The NBA needs to go to the forefront of the story and assure the public that Dolan's actions are not in keeping with the standards the NBA expects of anyone associated with league, much less a team owner. A hefty fine, at least, is in order.
Do you have proof that Dolan wrote it? Anyone can sign "Dolan" and hack into email. NBA needs to appoint a firm for the full investigation. I bet there is some evil kid in a bathroom who spent 98 seconds hacking and writing. Probably Nets fan, just envying the great franchise.
it is very moronic especially from a 63 year old man. fans aren't owed anything, there's no guarantee of wins or championships when you follow a team. if you don't like it go hop on the Spurs bandwagon. he wrote a childish letter to the owner of the Knicks, maybe if he wrote a letter acting like an adult and discussing issues rather than bashing the owner that is one thing but he took the childish route and got what he deserved. Dolan should be above it to respond to a nitwit like that so they are both idiots.
Sports teams are like any other brand. They're tribal in nature, which can make it hard to deal with but when your tribe sucks go find another tribe or just stop participating in tribal warfare altogether. The NFL and NBA sell themselves as a civic resource. Really they're not. They're just another business like any other. If their product offends you stop watching it. Worked for me with the Knicks after '94 and I've never regretted the decision to stop following them since. Life is short. Do things you enjoy.
Well sports are pretty much worthless in the grand scheme of things. It's entertainment, no different than any other except the fact that it's not scripted. My life doesn't change one bit whether the Jets or the Rangers or any other team I like loses. They can lose every game for the entire year and my life wouldn't change. They can win every game and my life wouldn't change. Sure, they can make us happy, sad, give us pride or whatever... but outside of the interactions with other people who share the interest in the sport you're watching, it means nothing. These days when my team loses, once the game is over it's just eh, ok, move on. I may waste time in a message board like her posting about it, but it's more than another way to extend that entertainment value of the sport. To discuss it with other people who have a similar interest. Many people are legitimately depressed for days and take it very seriously. They live and die by their team. When they win they're higher than the moon and when they lose they're lower than low. All over something they ultimately have no control over.
Really? No denials from Dolan or the Knicks and Adam Silver has already talked about discussing it with Dolan. He did it.
You need to start to pay attention. The man is older than 63, he has been a fan for 63 years. He is a customer, he has a right to be heard, in sports as in any other business. Companies want happy customers and welcome feedback, even if it is unfavorable. For you to state that "fans aren't owed anything" shows just how out of touch you are with the realities of business. Have you ever worked? Have you ever bought anything? Do you have others making important decisions for you?
