The treatment of Charles Oakley by Madison Square Garden management and security should curse the New York Knicks until ownership is changed. Knick ownership should suffer tremendously for treating a man who gave his all to his adopted city in such an undignified manner.
Twenty years ago, the Knicks were a team that united New Yorkers. Oakley personified this era of Knicks, whose virtue was always grit rather than athleticism, and who were always greater than the sum of their parts. They never captured the title, but their fight and effort will never be forgotten.
Oakley’s job was to push, shove and fight over perceived transgressions on (and off) the court. The owners of the Knicks embraced the effort and cashed in on the frenzy of the fans. Going “over the line” in terms of physicality, was more than tolerated, it was expected during Oakley’s decade on the team.
So when Oakley got in a yelling and shoving match in the stands at Madison Square Garden last week, he was doing exactly what the Knicks paid him to do for so many years. This event will, as time passes, probably add to his legend.
Even if Oakley was verbally offensive preceding the melee, it should have been tolerated more than it was. By all accounts, Oakley paid for his seat near owner James Dolan, who Oakley says has slighted him in his retirement. Even if we credit that Oakley was verbally offensive in the few minutes he was near his seat, who more than Oak earned the right to be more vociferous than the average customer?
In this case, Oak’s wrath was allegedly directed against Dolan, a billionaire who can surely take a few insults. Sad Knicks fans deserve some sort of entertainment while at MSG, considering the pathetic on-court performance of Dolan’s under-achieving squad.
From Oakley’s telling, he wasn’t even aggressive to the point security should have been called. Oakley has suggested that his mere presence, made Garden management apprehensive and led to the completely unfair demand to move him far away from Dolan.
The truth, as it so often does, likely lies somewhere between the two versions. What is clear is that without getting physical with anyone, a plethora of security approached Oakley. Such local greats deserve at least a little more respect from management than the common fan (like myself) who happens to draw the attention of security. Oakley, as much as any other individual alive, surely earned the right to such respect at Madison Square Garden.
Oakley, true to his character, fought against the indignity.
New York Knicks fans are nearly unanimously behind him. We respect what we saw: a man of tremendous pride responding to an attempt to shame him in the place he made his name.
Oakley will have to pay for that. Namely, he is mired in misdemeanor charges for shoving a security guard.
However, Madison Square Garden must also do a comprehensive investigation as to whether so many guards should have been near Oakley to begin with. A lone staff member from the venue approaching a Knick hero to calmly discuss any issue regarding Oakley’s behavior would have been extraordinarily more effective.
After Oakley turned the interaction physical, it took a posse to drag him away. This should be to the organization’s everlasting shame. The only way to resolve this is for Madison Square Garden to use every effort to ensure that criminal charges are dismissed by the Manhattan Defense Attorney’s office.
The sides should sit down together and exchange apologies for what each did wrong. Thereafter, the Garden should agree to eventually honor Oakley in a way that recognizes his contributions to the team when the situation becomes less heated. Thankfully, this started Tuesday with the withdrawal of the humiliating “lifetime” ban from the arena that was placed on Oakley.
If Madison Square Garden does anything less than give Oakley the respect he deserves, they deserve to suffer the “Curse of Charles Oakley,” which will damn the Knicks to even more losing seasons than it has been suffering since the turn of the century.
Sean Roman Strockyj is a New York Knicks fan from New Hyde Park, N.Y.
If you would like to write an op-ed for the Washington Examiner, please read our guidelines on submissions here.
