Thursday night the NBA postponed the Nets first regular season game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn because of the damage (particularly to the subways) in New York. There are a lot of people in the city questioning if the New York Marathon should be run Sunday (it is going on).
But Friday night’s Knicks at Heat game is going on. And Dwyane Wade isn’t sure it should.
It started Friday night when Wade tweeted (now deleted): “"3 hour traffic just to get into the NY city.. C’monMan...”
That caused backlash — traffic has been a mess in and out of Manhattan because of the subway damage caused by Sandy. Wade quickly tweeted this in response:At shootaround at the Garden Friday, Wade was saying the same thing. From Ira Winderman at the Sun Sentinel.
“I just felt there were bigger things to be concerned about than us being here to play a basketball game,” Wade said.
But having arrived, he added, “Hopefully we can give someone a different perspective.”
Wade also said he would donate his game check to relief efforts.
Often following events like the damage of Sandy, sporting events can help be something for a community to rally around. It’s a matter of timing. The NBA — headquartered in New York — thinks the city is ready. Hopefully it is.
The league and the players union have combined to give $1 million to Sandy relief efforts. That can help, too. If you want to help, NBC and NBC Sports Network will broadcast an hour-long concert tonight from a variety of artists, from 8-9 pm Eastern (or on NBC between 8-9 pm your local time). Watch and donate. Every dollar will help.