Megan Turner
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New York City is taking steps to reopen arenas and stadiums to allow spectators at sporting events, but attending a game will come with a hefty price tag.
Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, will host its first game with fans in about 11 months when the Nets taking on the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 23.
The gameday protocols require that all patrons arrive with a negative PCR COVID-19 test result — administered 72 hours prior to arrival — in hand.
John Abbamondi, CEO of BSE Global — the parent company of the Nets and Barclays Center — thanked New York governor Andrew Cuomo for collaborating with the team and assisting in making a safety plan to allow fans back in arenas and stadiums.
“The Governor has played a tremendous role in getting New York businesses back on their feet and we are proud to announce that for the remainder of the season we are donating a portion of ticket proceeds to support vaccination efforts here in Brooklyn,” Abbamondi said.
Fans will be required to take a second COVID-19 rapid test upon arrival, just as they were for the Buffalo Bills playoff game, New York’s News 4 reports.
The second test comes with rapid results back in six minutes, and arena staff have to go through the same testing requirements as the spectators.
Individuals who want to attend should expect to pay $200 for COVID-19 testing in addition to the cost of the ticket.
“Fans are craving to come back and watch live sports, and we have to reinvent the arena experience to adapt for the pandemic,” Abbamondi said. “That’s what we are trying to do.”
Abbamondi said the game-day experience will be significantly different from previous games. He said some seating areas have been built into mini-suites and others have been divided with plexiglass walls.
Nets season ticket holders will be given priority access to the limited tickets, and 10% capacity will be allowed at Barclays Center for the game.
Lol NYC is dead and they are trying to squeeze another 200 dollars out of the fewer NBA fans they have for a test that is wrong a lot of the times.
I do crave live sports…but now it’s only sports I’m personally involved in doing rather than being a spectator.
The idiots in NY will still vote Democrat.
And they mean it too. (they should pay the fans)
Literally shaking my damn head 😏
Easy solution: do not attend events in New York. Problem solved.
Why don’t the nets pay the money 💰 for the test as a show of good grace LMAO
“The Governor has played a tremendous role in getting New York businesses back on their feet …”. You mean the businesses he destroyed through his gross, criminal negligence. I feel like I just stepped in dog shit and can’t get it off my shoes.
You couldn’t pay me $200 to attend a Nets or Knicks game in NYC, or any other NBA game for that matter. This is from someone who grew up 10 miles from MSG and was once a huge Knick fan.
And there will be fools who agree to be tested at the gates. STUPID.
NBA is boring. I used to be a huge Celtics fan. I refuse to watch it. Just another POS product from China
Business-minded people are not winning in these meetings about COVID policies.
I will never watch the racist, white hating, Communist China loving NBA.
If you’ve got to have a covid test 72 hours before each game, how will that work for a home stand with 3 straight games over 5 days? That’s coming up February 23, 25, and 27 for the Nets. Do you have to get 3 tests over 5 days if you’re a season ticket holder? Isn’t that a waste of resources? All that to go pay $200-300 per ticket and $200 for team testing? If you are willing to do all that to go watch the awful NBA regular season, could you also just mail me $1000 since you’re setting your money on fire?
Not watching or supporting in any way and you couldn’t pay me to go to nyc really really stupid people there they keep electing and reelecting the same tyrannical far left dummies they are getting exactly what they deserve.
Another scam by Cuomo. Let`s screw everybody going for $200 for vaccinations that are FREE everywhere else. At least he`s not going treat the arenas like a nursing home and kill THESE people.
Guess it costs a lot for Reichsleiter Cuomo to cover up his COVID death camps…
I heard nyc smells like urine