MSG Bans Fan Over ‘Ban Dolan’ T-Shirt He Created 8 Years Ago
Irate fans are the norm when it comes to diehards pouring over their team, but few have the frigidly cold shoulder that comes from New Yorkers.
Aside from the continued success of the Yankees and the recent resurgence of the New York Knicks in recent seasons, it’s been a tough time for New York sports fans.
One fan, Frank William Miller, Jr., was so pissed with owner James Dolan‘s Knicks culture that he created “Ban Dolan” t-shirts back in 2017 when Charles Oakley was disrespectfully kicked out of Madison Square Garden. The Gothamist reports that it gained more traction when his friend wore the shirt during a 2021 game, but was forced to leave in the middle of the first quarter.
The shirts are pretty funny, but if there’s one thing Dolan hates, it’s being critiqued to any extent. Eight years after the Dolan-hating merch, the MSG sports CEO exacted revenge, so Miller is no longer allowed to step foot in the world’s most famous arena, Knicks game or not.
“I just think it’s amusing that a lowly thousandaire like myself is living rent-free in a billionaire’s head,” Miller told the Gothamist.
Miller admits that he hasn’t been engaged much in sports since Oakley’s removal. So while he’s likely not been to a Knicks game since, he only found out about the ban on March 24 when he arrived at Radio City Music Hall to see a Cleo Sol concert with his parents for their 47th anniversary.
He recalls security guards surrounding him while in line before pulling him aside.
“They rushed our metal detector line and said, ‘Stop the line, stop the line,’” Miller said. “Real theatrical, index fingers on the earpiece saying ‘We may have a potential P-five.’”
They issued him a trespassing notice and told him he’s not allowed to set foot in any MSG venues, which include MSG, Radio City Music Hall, and the Beacon Theatre.
Miller added, “The only part that really bothers me is that my mom was crying.”
MSG says Miller was banned for “violating the company’s code of conduct.”
This isn’t the first time Dolan, a petty billionaire, pulled rank. In 2023, he used controversial facial recognition to spot a lawyer chaperoning a group of Girl Scouts to a show at Radio City Musical Hall. He halted her entrance because the law firm she works for has a lawsuit against him or his holdings.
