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Nets: Brooklyn Deserves to Host All-Star Weekend

By Christian Milcos

Feb 14, 2015; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks at a press conference at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 14, 2015; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks at a press conference at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NBA issued a statement earlier this week stating that the All-Star festivities this February will not be held in Charlotte anymore due to North Carolina’s anti-LGBT law. This ruling opens up the possibility for All-Star Weekend to be moved to any city, including Brooklyn.

Rumors have been circulating that the city of New Orleans is in heavy negotiations to host All-Star Weekend. This choice would be very redundant on the NBA’s part as New Orleans hosted the events in 2014 and 2008.

Brooklyn has a strong case to play host to All-Star Weekend. The city has still never truly hosted All-Star Weekend as they split the events with Madison Square Garden in 2015. It was clear that the Knicks’ home arena was the dominate spectacle for the weekend as they hosted the biggest event: the All-Star Game. The Barclays Center merely played second fiddle to its neighboring stadium by only getting to host All-Star Saturday Night and the Rising Stars Challenge. Leading up to that weekend the NBA marketed All-Star Weekend 2015 as being hosted by New York, not Brooklyn.

Feb 14, 2015; New York, NY, USA; American actor Anthony Anderson (center) with Brooklyn Nets dancers during the 2015 NBA All Star Shooting Stars competition at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 14, 2015; New York, NY, USA; American actor Anthony Anderson (center) with Brooklyn Nets dancers during the 2015 NBA All Star Shooting Stars competition at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Brooklyn’s culture is second to none and only furthers its case to host All-Star Weekend. Putting its urban, hip vibe on showcase for the rest of the league will attract tourists to the city. The future tourist profit combined with the amount of out-of-town fans the weekend would attract make Brooklyn the perfect city to host All-Star 2017.

If the NBA wants to exhibit their accepting nature then there is no better state New York to host All-Star Weekend as they have some of the best anti-discrimination laws in the country. The league wanted to make a statement by moving the festivities out of Charlotte, and the selection of Brooklyn as the new host would practice what they preach with the LGBT community.

Fans could have the opportunity to visit Coney Island, Nathan’s and a plethora of other tourist attractions in the Brooklyn area on their trip to the 2017 All-Star Game. The history that covers the streets of Brooklyn combined with the high amount of tourist attractions the city has to offer make it a strong candidate for the events.

The Barclays Center can pride itself upon being one of the newest and high-tech arenas in the league. Even when the Nets are struggling, opposing teams rave about Barclays Center’s appearance and amenities. However, with the Golden 1 Center coming to Sacramento and the Chase Center looming in the Warriors future, Barclays will not be the newest arena for long. Adam Silver and his advisors should jump on this opportunity to showcase the return of professional sports to Brooklyn.

From a monetary aspect, the NBA couldn’t pick a better place than the New York area to host All-Star Weekend. The league’s biggest stars gathering in one of the country’s most historic cities presents many marketing opportunities for the league. The festivities could also attract some of the many celebrities who call the New York area home such as Jay-Z, or Spike Lee.

Is the Nets organization vying to call the All-Star Weekend events home this season? This is very likely as the team was quick to post a statement on their Facebook page explaining their support of the league’s decision to move the events out of Charlotte. With Brett Yormark’s aggressive style of marketing the Nets organization, it is very possible that Brooklyn is a prime candidate to replace Charlotte as host of All-Star Weekend this year.

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The league would be inept not to see the plethora of opportunities that having All-Star Weekend in Brooklyn could bring. A big market, the history of Brooklyn sports and a brand new arena all make Barclays Center more than qualified to host the events. All-Star Weekend will take place from February 19th-21st, 2017 this season in whichever city the league announces at a future date.