Why I'm Spending $6,000 on a Knicks Ticket

I realize that most people probably don’t know the story of how I became a die-hard Knicks fan.

A kid from Baltimore supporting New York’s basketball team doesn’t make much sense.

Growing up, we weren’t huge NBA fans and due to our distance from DC (about an hour), the Washington teams (Wizards/Caps) were secondary squads.

My fandom growing up ranked as such:

Ravens

big gap

Michigan Football/Basketball (Mom and Aunt went there)

Texas Football/Basketball (Became a fan bc of Vince, shoutout AJ Abrams, iykyk), Capitals & Orioles (didn’t have a winning season until I left for college)

Wizards

Fast forward to spring of 2014.

I am a senior in high school and we are about to go to a Wizards playoff game for the first time.

Casey and I are in the basement when we hear my mom scream like she’s never screamed before:

“GET OUT OF THE HOUSE NOW, FIRE FIRE”

About 30 minutes before we were headed to DC, my parents bedroom caught on fire, it spread throughout half of the top floor.

Everyone was safe, we lived in a rental for the next year as the home was re-built and we did not make the game.

Maybe that was a sign to give up my Wizards fandom.

I played basketball all my life. I absolutely love basketball

My senior year of High school, we were really bad. 0-18 in the conference but 16 losses by single digits! Coaching may have been the issue…

On my senior night, I faced off with a kid named Phil Booth. He was the best player in the conference. We trailed by 35 at half but a 5-0 run out of the break and they called a timeout.

Mt St Joe’s coach moved Phil onto me (the point guard) to disrupt the offense.

He finished with a triple double and we lost by 40.

In Villanova’s 2016 National Championship, Jalen Brunson (4), Josh Hart (12), Mikal Bridges (2), and Donte DiVincenzo (0) combined for less points than Phil Booth had (20).

While in college, my love for the NBA grew. Steph, the KD drama, the Cavs/Warriors rivalry, it was a really fun time to watch NBA hoops.

The problem was that the Wizards weren’t on national tv much so while I was down in Austin, it was hard to keep up with them.

Plus, there wasn’t much to keep up with. The John Wall / Brad Beal days were middling teams.

When I graduated in 2018 and moved to NYC, I realized it was time for me to find an NBA team.

Here’s the plot twist. For a year, I picked the Celtics. I loved Kyrie Irving and his game and him joining Boston seemed fun.

His time with the Celtics was rough and too drama filled and I just never really felt that Celtics connection.

Disgusting to have supported that team. But at the same time, Boston, Philly, New York fans - we’re really all the same.

It’s also probably a good time to share that my favorite player ever is CP3.

I always supported those Clippers teams and even rooted for Houston while he was there. But, favorite player was not filling the itch of really joining a fanbase.

Anyways, here’s how I became a Knicks fan and why I’m spending the $6K in the greatest bit of irony ever.

As I mentioned above, I moved to NYC after graduating Texas.

I was working at the Action Network as a social media manager when I had a genius idea.

The summer of 2019 was going to be electric for the Knicks.

A team that had been horrible for almost a decade had the best odds in the NBA draft for the #1 pick.

On top of that, Kevin Durant was a free agent. His business partner was Rich Kleiman, a diehard Knicks fan.

KD and Kyrie were going to team up and what better place than the Mecca.

Kyrie was from New Jersey. The Knicks had the cap space.

The Knicks were gonna go from the worst team in the league to having KD/Kyrie/Zion.

So, I convinced my co-workers at the Action Network that we should split season tickets as an investment and when the Knicks made a Finals run, we’d sell the tickets and be RICH!

Well, the Knicks got the 3rd pick in the draft (RJ Barrett) and KD/Kyrie joined Brooklyn while we were left with Julius Randle.

My plan was foiled. In fact, we were now going to be taking a loss every single night on the tickets.

It got so bad that we couldn’t sell tickets for 30% of face value that we were paying.

That’s when I started to just buy out my partners.

I couldn’t stand the 70% loss on the tickets, I’d rather just go to the Garden and watch the Knicks play the Bulls or the Magic or the Hornets.

And that’s when I fell in love.

I’m lucky to do what I do for work.

I’m lucky to have seen pretty much everything when it comes to live sports.

Super Bowls, National Championships, Final 4s, Kentucky Derbys, Major Golf Tournaments, pretty much everything.

So, when I tell you that Madison Square Garden is the most pure venue in sports, I mean it.

There’s nothing special about the concourse or the in game entertainment.

The seats are fine, aisles are small, and not many banners hang from the rafters (besides Billy Joel).

The focus is on the court. And the magic is in the air. The vibe is just perfect.

And the fan base is incredible.

A 1 of 1 fan base.

Knicks fans absolutely adore their Knicks as you’ve all seen.

It genuinely unites the city, it is so cool.

I lived in NYC for 7 years. I don’t really care to call myself a New Yorker. I don’t really care if you think I’m a fake Knicks fan.

I just fucking love the New York Knicks and everything about them and the fans.

So, after a year of RJB and Julius Randle, covid hits. We get refunded the final 8 games and then about 3 months into covid, the Knicks come asking for a deposit for next year.

I mean, we didn’t even know what the world would look like and here were the greedy Knicks asking for money.

My “co-investors” were out.

So I pitched 2 of my buddies to split a 2nd seat in section 109 with me.

We were paying $150/ticket and Julius Randle led a magical season to a first round playoff exit.

I’ll never forget the West Coast road trip and the joy that team brought me.

Game 1 and 2 vs. the Hawks are some of my most memorable moments ever.

I will say, the bummer about the price tag on these seats is in fact that the true fans are priced out.

Because of covid, the real fans were able to buy tickets to those playoff games.

I still don’t think I’ve heard MSG as loud as the Toppin alley oop. Chills.

After that year, the Knicks missed the post-season and my buddies no longer found it financially smart to have season tickets.

It was at this point where I was in too deep.

For the next 3 years, I had a pair of season tickets running me about $16,000 a year.

Life got busy, listing and managing inventory is a bitch.

There’d be so many nights where I’d forget there was a game at like 5pm and scramble to sell the tickets at cost or for a loss on twitter.

But the Knicks went to the playoffs all 3 years.

I could’ve made some $ back to alleviate the regular season cost but what kept happening was that I wanted to go to the games!

So, I’d have my 2nd seat and sell it to a buddy at face value because I just wanted them to experience the playoffs at MSG with me.

In February of 2025, my wife and I moved to Miami. After going to UT Austin, I was just obsessed with the quality of life down south.

We also were going to start a family and we never really wanted to raise our kids in New York City.

I missed some of last year’s playoff run but came back up for the Pacers series.

I was at the Nesmith/Haliburton Game 1. I think I’m still in shock from that game.

When we signed a lease in November of 2024, it was about the same exact time that season ticket renewals came in.

There was a new rule for 2025. You must have a tri-state address.

So many ticket brokers were getting season tickets and flipping tickets.

I decided to give up my season tickets after 5 years.

Half my friends and family are in New York. I could’ve used their address. But not living in NYC anymore, it really would’ve been managing a lot of ticket inventory for seeing only a few games a year.

The cost of the tickets had gone up so much, that even with how good the Knicks were, you’re still about breaking even during the regular season.

You’re essentially getting them just for the playoffs.

Well, now we’ve made it. To the great irony of my New York Knicks fandom.

I don’t have season tickets. Thus, I have to buy a Finals ticket off the secondary market.

I became a fan by happenstance of the financial decision to ‘invest’ in Knicks tickets.

My thesis came true.

My ticket’s face value for the Finals are $2800/ticket.

They’re going for $15,000/ticket.

If the series goes 6 and I sold all 3 pairs, I would’ve profited $73,000.

It was probably worth the effort to find a tri-state address and manage the tickets eh?

So, am I buying a $6,000 ticket to tonight’s game to prove my Knicks fandom?

No, I am not.

I know how much I love this team.

I’m buying the ticket because it is a once in a lifetime experience.

I love sports. I love that sports connect us. I love that sports have community, passion, everything.

Sports are my everything.

And on Monday night, you will see the greatest sporting event to ever take place and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Let’s go Knicks!!!

My goal for 2026:

Write this newsletter once a week and release it every Monday at 12pm EST

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