Event Audit Essays

Submitted By Gregory-Tavoularis
Words: 3092
Pages: 13

Gregory Tavoularis
Sports Event Audit
APU SPMT612

I attended a New York Islanders hockey Game on December 6, 2014. This event took place at 1:00 P.M. at Nassau Memorial Colisum in Uniondale, New York. I was able to purchase tickets off of a website, vividseats.com, and have an excellent seat in the arena. Here is a photo of my ticket stub.
In the top left corner it says the name of Isaac Herzig. This is the individual who sold the ticket online to me through the site vividseats.com. This event is hosted by the New York Islanders as they are part of the National Hockey League (NHL). The New York Islanders home games are played in the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum as well as many other events from award banquets, Disney on Ice, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Baily Circus to the Harlem Globetrotters and Sesame Street Live. “The first event that took place was a New York Nets Basketball game on February 11, 1972. The Nets played at Nassau Coliseum from 1972-1977 and won American Basketball Association (A.B.A.) Championships in 1974 & 1976. Julius "DR. J" Erving, from Roosevelt, was league MVP in 1974, 75 & 76” (Nassaucoliseum.com). Roosevelt, NY is one town south of Uniondale which is where the venue is located. The area where the venue is currently residing was actually once a Army/Air Force base. “This 1,200-acre base was shut down in 1960 and declared surplus property by the U.S. Government. Nassau County obtained much of this property from the government in 1961” (nassauonline.com). Eventually, after many discussions and proposals such as a civic center, residential housing, museum and cultural center, the decision to build a 15,000 seat arena was made. At the time, the arena was built for 32 billion dollars and was name Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum as a dedication to those who have made the supreme sacrifice for their country. Now, going into a S.W.O.T. analysis of the New York Islanders as well as the Event itself has many details to look into. Let’s first start with the strengths of the New York Islanders. The Islanders strengths are Marketability, existing brand and location. Being part of the NHL alone gives marketability to a franchise. However, being that the New York Islanders are on Long Island in New York really helps them. Even with two other local teams, New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers, anybody who lives on Long Island has the opportunity and is almost forced to see the Islanders and be their fan. This hockey team has been going strong since 1972 when they were introduced to the hockey scene. Unfortunately, this organization has a few weaknesses. First off, the New York Islanders are a pretty poor hockey team. Besides for a four year stretch in the 1980’s, the Islanders haven’t won a Stanley Cup in over three decades. They haven’t even been to the finals since then as well. Secondly, their owner has thrown in the flag. According to Cbssports.com, the owner of the New York Islanders, Charles Wang, has reached an agreement to sell the New York Islanders. “Charles Wang has reached an agreement to sell the New York Islanders to Jonathan Ledecky, a former owner of the Washington Capitals, and London-based investor Scott Malkin, the team announced. The sale is pending approval from the NHL's board of governors” (Peters, 2014). In previous years Wang, invested money for payroll and other necessities but now he is leaving and moving on from the team. Moving on to opportunities, I feel that the Islanders now have new and improved chances of being successful. In October of 2014, the Islanders have decided to move to Brooklyn, New York and play all of their home games at the Barclays Center. In an article from the New York Times reporter Allan Kreda writes, “The Islanders opened with four straight wins for just the third time in franchise history and that momentum to begin their last season at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum — despite their first loss, at Pittsburgh on Saturday