Since February 23, arenas in New York have reopened sporting events to fans at over 10% capacity for venues with over 10,000 seats. Two of the stadiums that have hosted fans since are Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center. 

With the resumption of fan attendance comes coronavirus concerns. Keeping this in mind, all staff and fans must have a negative PCR test within 72 hours of the event and must wear face coverings. 

As a result, Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center will be used as testing grounds for a new digital pass that could confirm owner COVID status. This pass will verify an individual’s vaccination status or recent negative coronavirus test status. 

What became known as the Excelsior Pass was first tested on February 27 at Barclays Center for a Nets game. It was tested for the second time during a Rangers game on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. 

Like a mobile boarding pass, the Excelsior Pass can be printed out or stored on a smartphone. Each pass had a secure QR code that the venue can scan to confirm the owner’s COVID status. 

The pass only informs the venue if a pass is valid or not. There are currently plans for the Excelsior Pass to be available to the Apple and Google app stores. 

“We’re doing everything we can to vaccinate as many New Yorkers as possible, as quickly as possible, while keeping the infection rate down and reenergizing our economy in a safe, smart way,” said Gov. Cuomo (D). “As we begin reopening the valves on different sectors of our economy, we are putting guidelines in place to ensure individuals attending events involving larger gatherings have tested negative for COVID or have been vaccinated to avoid an outbreak of the virus. “

“The Excelsior Pass will play a critical role in getting information to venues and sites in a secure and streamlined way, allowing us to fast-track the reopening of these businesses and getting us one step closer to reaching a new normal,” added Cuomo.

GET DEALS ON NEW YORK KNICKS TICKETS HERE!

The Brooklyn Nets have been one of the NBA’s most pleasant surprises. Despite the collapse of the early 2010s Nets teams built around Deron Williams, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce, they’ve managed to recover and are now fighting for a playoff spot. The lack of high caliber draft picks, with three first-rounders shipped to the Boston Celtics in 2014, has led to a talented and scrappy team. D’Angelo Russell and Jarrett Allen are leading the way.

Nets 2019 Season Tickets On Sale Now

With the possibility of Russell leaving this offseason, it’s important to see the Nets now. They came up big during All-Star weekend and can only hope that their recent success snowballs throughout the second half of the season. Russell got his first all-star nod. In 12 minutes, he’d battle against the leagues best for six points. Sharpshooter Joe Harris is shooting a career-high 50.1% on three-pointers and shocked hometown hero Steph Curry for a win in the three-point contest. It’s also important to note that head coach Kenny Atkinson is a solid leader. In his third year with the team, he’s finally turned it around and is leading the team to the playoffs.

The Nets only have 11 home games left. Their next game is on Thursday night against the Portland Trail Blazers. They’ve just picked up former New York Knicks favorite Enes Kanter. Tickets range from $31 to $484 on StubHub.com. Then, the Nets will take on the San Antonio Spurs and a decimated Washington Wizards team that Bradley Beal is carrying. Tickets are starting at $24 against the Spurs and going from $20 to $594 against the Wizards. Both prices are from StubHub.com.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

The full list of remaining Nets regular-season home games can be found below:

2/21 – VS Portland Trail Blazers

2/25 – VS San Antonio Spurs

2/27 – VS Washington Wizards

3/1 – VS Charlotte Hornets

3/4 – VS Dallas Mavericks

3/6 – VS Cleveland Cavs

3/11 – VS Detroit Pistons

3/30 – VS Boston Celtics

4/1 – VS Milwaukee Bucks

4/3 – VS Toronto Raptors

4/10 – VS Miami Heat

Nets 2019 Season Tickets On Sale Now

Attention, boxing fans: tickets for a major Premier Boxing Champions event this spring in New York are now on sale!

Premier Boxing Champion Tickets April 21

Former Champion Jessie Vargas will face Four-Division Champion Adrien Broner in the main event of a thrilling triple-header that will air live on Showtime Saturday, April 21 at 6 p.m. EST from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Also fighting that day will be undefeated former champion Jermall Charlo and Hugo Centeno Jr., who will be fighting for the Interim 160-pound World Championship.

Former champions Gervonta Davis and Jesus Cuellar, meanwhile, will square off in a 130-pound championship bout.

Tickets begin at $57 on ticketmaster.com. There is an overall ten-ticket limit for the event.

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 01: Adrien Broner celebrates after defeating Ashley Theophane (not pictured) by TKO in ninth round in their super lightweight championship bout at the DC Armory on April 1, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Attention, all college basketball fans: tickets for the 2017 NiT season tip-off game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Friday, Nov. 24 are now on sale at Ticketmaster.com!

NIT Season Tip-off men’s basketball 2017 Tickets

The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men’s college basketball tournament operated by the NCAA. St. John’s University owns the most NIT titles (5), while the TCU Horned Frogs are the most recent champions.

The third-place game and championship game on Friday will both be held the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday), although no start time has yet been announced for either matchup. The first Thanksgiving-day (Nov. 23) game will see the University of Virginia of the Atlantic Coast Conference face Vanderbilt University of the Southeastern Conference at 4 pm EST.

The second game that Thursday will feature the BIG EAST Conference squad Seton Hall University face off against 2017 Atlantic 10 Conference Champion University of Rhode Island at 6 pm EST. Both games will likely air on ESPNU.

The winners of each game will face off in the championship game on Friday.

Standard admission tickets for Friday’ championship game begin at $30 on Ticketmaster. There is an overall eight-ticket limit for this event.

Group tickets can be purchased by calling 855-GROUP-BK.

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 25: Daniel Dingle #4 of the Temple Owls drives to the basket defended by Lamont West #15 of the West Virginia Mountaineers in the second half during the championship game of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclays Center on November 25, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Attention, all basketball fans! Tickets for the first stop of the 2017 BIG3 Basketball Tour are now on sale!

Tickets: BIG3 Brooklyn Basketball Tournament (Barclays Center, June 25) 

The first stop of the ten-city US tour will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Sunday, June 25 at 1 pm EST.

Tickets start at $27 on ticketmaster.com.

The legendary players featured in the game will include Allen Iverson, Chauncey Billups, Jermaine O’Neal, Kenyon Martin, Mike Bibby, Rashard Lewis, Jason Williams, Stephen Jackson, Bonzi Wells, Corey Magette, Al Harrington, Ricky Davis Dermarr Johnson and many more. Among the famous coaches in attendance will be Charles Oakley,GaryPayton,Rick Barry,George Gervin and Rick Mahorn. 

Every day of the event will feature a tournament style competition with each of the eight teams competing in four fast-paced, physical games and an amazing halftime show.

The BIG3 was founded by rap legend and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. Roger Mason Jr. serves as President and Commissioner.

Attention, all boxing fans! Tickets for the Showtime Championship Boxing match between Adrien Broner and Mikey Garcia on Saturday, July 29 in Brooklyn, New York are now on sale!

Boxing Tickets: Adrien Broner vs. Mikey Garcia at Barclays Center, July 29

Tickets begin at $82 on ticketmaster.com. There is an overall eight-ticket limit for the event.

The contest will be held at the Barclays Center and will feature four-division world champion Broner and three-division world champion Garcia face off in the main card.

According to Boxingscene.com, Garcia will move up in weight to 140 pounds for his fight against Broner, who boasts a 33-2 career record with one no-contest.

Broner — a Cincinnati native who will turn 28 one day before his bout against Garcia — most recently defeated Adrian Granados in February via a split decision. The only two boxers he lost to were Marcos Maidana (in a 147-pound title fight) and Shawn Porter (in a catchweight bout).

“This will take me to the superstar level where I need to be,” said Broner. “I heard Mikey is a big favorite — they aren’t giving me much of a chance. I hope no one puts their house against me on this fight, because it won’t work out well for you.”

Broner continued:  “This fight will definitely bring the best out of me, because Mikey isn’t a sloppy fighter, he isn’t an awkward fighter,” he said of Garcia. “He’s a Mexican, but he boxes like an African American. We’re going to have a nice fight and I can’t wait to put on a show.”

Garcia, meanwhile, last fought in January: he beat Dejan Zlaticanin with a third-round knockout to claim the WBC lightweight title. The 29-year-old California native holds a 36-0 record, and has won 30 of those matches by knockout or TKO. On July 30, Garcia fought against Elio Rojas at Barclays Center after more than two years of inactivity due to a contract dispute.

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 01: Adrien Broner celebrates after defeating Ashley Theophane (not pictured) by TKO in ninth round in their super lightweight championship bout at the DC Armory on April 1, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Attention, all basketball fans: tickets for the 2017 NBA Draft are now on sale.

Tickets: NBA Draft 2017, Barclays Center June 22

The draft will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Thursday, June 22at 7pm EST. Tickets begin at $41, and there is an overall eight-ticket limit for the event.

Among the top prospects in this year’s draft are Washington guard Markelle Fultz and UCL guard Lonzo Ball: most experts seem to agree these two players will be chosen early.

CBSSports’s Gary Parrish predicts the Boston Celtics, who earned the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft lottery, will select Fultz as the top pick and that Ball will go to the Los Angeles Lakers as the second overall selection.

In his mock draft, Parrish then has Kansas small forward Josh Jackson going to the Philadelphia 76ers as the No. 3 overall pick, and then the Phoenix Suns selecting Duke small forward Jayson Tatum as the fourth pick.

Rounding out the top ten pick predictions for the first round, according to Parrish’s mock draft, are Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox to the Sacramento Kings (No. 5), Kentucky point guard Malik Monk to the Orlando Magic (No. 6), Florida State small forward Jonathan Isaac to the Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 7), NC State point guard Dennis Smith to the New York Knicks (No. 8), France point guard Frank Ntilikina to the Dallas Mavericks, and Duke shooting guard Luke Kennard to the Kings.

Another top prospect Parrish predicts will be selected in the first round is North Carolina small forward Justin Jackson, whom he believes the Chicago Bulls will take as the 16th pick. Parrish also predicts Duke’s freshman power forward Harry Giles will go to the Portland Trail Blazers as the 20th overall pick.

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 23: Ben Simmons walks on stage after being drafted first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 23, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

After two years of dozens of complains and low games attendance, Brooklyn’s Barclays Center has decided it’s no longer worth it to host the New York Islanders.

Brooklyn’s Barclays Center To Drop Islanders After 2018-19 Season

According to two sources, the arena wants the NHL team out following the 2018-19 season because it believes it could earn more revenue from concerts and other events.

Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, who owns the building and the Brooklyn Nets, has,  since November, been seeking an investor to take a stake in both.

Barclays Center didn’t specifically address the future of the Islanders. Tim Leiweke, co-founder of Oak View Group, which has been advising the team in negotiations with the arena, declined to comment, as did a spokesman for Islanders owners Jonathan Ledecky and Scott Malkin.

The team’s stay in Brooklyn has proven unrewarding from the beginning. Average attendance has plummeted to 12,828, third-worst in the NHL. Plus, fans have complained of poor sight lines, while players say the ice is sub-par.

In addition, the Barclays-Islanders agreement is unconventional, in that the arena pays the team an average of $53.5 million a year in exchange for control of business operations, which includes revenue from ticket and suite sales.

The lease can be terminated by either the Islanders or arena management. If the team cancels, it can leave after next season. If not, then the Islanders’ tenure at Barclays Center would end after 2018-2019. Either way, the team will need to find a new arena to play.

In July, Bloomberg News reported that Ledecky and Martin were contemplating building a new arena next to Citi Field in Queens.

Prokhorov now owns the team’s former home, the Nassau Coliseum, although the owners paid a large premium for the Islanders in 2014 based on the pending move to New York City. They have demonstrated no explicit interest in returning to Long Island.

The Coliseum is scheduled to reopen in April after a $130 million renovation, it’s projected to have about 13,000 seats for hockey, making it too small to permanently house an NHL team.

Per sources, Ledecky and Malkin also considered Belmont Park in Elmont as a potential venue. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo favors Belmont, a source close to the situation stated, which is why the state in recent months rejected all proposals for the undeveloped site, including from those hoping to build retail stores.

The Islanders last defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Thursday. They next host the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 03: Josh Bailey #12 of the New York Islanders (l) celebrates his second goal of the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at 2:27 of the third period on the powerplay in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Barclays Center on May 03, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

WWE SummerSlam 2016 took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, in front of a sold out crowd Sunday night. The excitement of the fights weren’t as high as anticipated and the two-hour pre-show before the four-hour event made it hard for the show to keep pace and continue to entertain the fans. As fans entered Barclays Center during pre-show festivities, they bought t-shirts outside and took photos with their WWE championship belts, filled with enthusiasm, but as the show wore on some of that enthusiasm turned to boredom. If you didn’t pay the $120 to get inside, you didn’t miss anything. That being said there were some twists and new titles to be fought for as Finn Bálor became the first WWE universal champion.

The kickoff show featured American Alpha, Usos, and Hype Brothers vs. Breezango, Ascension and Vaudevillans, and Sami Zayn and Neville vs. The Dudley Boyz and Cesaro vs. Sheamus. Sheamus defeated Cesaro, Sami Zayn and Neville defeated The Dudley Boz, and American Alpha, Usos, and Hype Brothers defeated Breezango, Ascension and Vaudedillans all via pinfall.

Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens defeated Enzo Amore and Big Cass via pinfall. Enzo, the New Jersey native, and Cass, the Queens native entered the arena Enzo wore Yankees pinstripes and pictures of Notorious B.I.G. on his jacket. The two quoted Frank Sinatra lyrics talked about being from the New York, even though Enzo is from just across the river. According to CBS Sports Owens and Jericho used a Pop-up Codebreaker for the pinfall.

For the women’s championship Charlotte defeated Sasha Banks via pinfall. This fight looked a little amateur and scary as Banks nearly landed head-first in the ring and could have broken her neck. Banks maneuvered a top-rope Razor’s Edge by Charlotte into a hurricanrana and on the second lock in she was able to roll Banks over and keep her shoulders pinned for a three count to take the title as new women’s champ.

Nikki Bella, returned to the ring as a surprise and was hungry for a win. Bella had neck surgery seven months ago.

Bella, Natalya and Alexa Bliss defeated Carmella, Becky Lynch & Naomi via pinfall. Lynch took control of the ring at one point in the fight and cleared it, but that was as much as she would do the rest of the fight. Bella went one-on-one with Carmella, gave her a forearm and put her in a new age Rack Attack to finish the fight.

The main event saw Brock Lesnar defeat Randy Orton via TKO. Lensar was up early, he threw Orton into the announce table on two accounts. Orton looked limp and lifeless when Lesnar was setting him up on top of an announce table and suddenly Orton hit an RKO with a crazed look in his eye. Orton and Lesnar traded an RKO and F5 but neither resulted in a three count. Lesnar jumped on Orton and used his MMA fighting style to mercilessly punch Orton. Orton started bleeding from his head from all the jabs. The referee announced a decision for Lesnar by TKO after Orton was being tended to by doctors in the ring.

AJ Styles defeated John Cena via pinfall. Styles countered an Cena Attitude Adjustment into a Pele kick and the Styles Clash for the two count. Cena gave the AA for a two count of his own, Styles missed a springboard 450 off the top rope, Cena hit a flipping pin combination, Styles gave a German suplex that translated to a facebuster. A tornado DDT and top-rope leg drop by Cena did not give him the ‘W’. Styles hit a Frankensteiner from the corner and tried to finish with his Phenomenal Forearm finisher but no dice. Cena hit his AA from the middle rope but couldn’t keep Styles down for three. Styles finally converted an AA into a Styles Clash and Phenomenal Forearm for the three count.

The Universal championship featured Finn Bálor and Seth Rollins. Bálor won via pinfall but it was a back and forth fight with some classic maneuvers. Bálor missed three straight Coup de Grace attempts and on the third attempt Rollins switched it to a Pedigree but only got a two count. Rollins climbed to the top rope to eliminate Bálor, but he missed and Bálor dropkicked him into the corner. Rollins hit a superplex, but Balor reversed another Pedigree into a stomp and dropkick landing Rollins in the corner again and hit a Coup de Grace to win.

Jon Stewart took part in his second SummerSlam in a row. He was caught talking about RAW commissioner, Stephanie McMahon, in a backstage huddle that she confronted him on, of course and got in the ring later in the show and referenced how he leveled Cena with a chair.

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 23: John Cena recovers from a blow during his fight against Seth Rollins at the WWE SummerSlam 2015 at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on August 23, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images)

Following a rough first season at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the New York Islanders speaking with the owners of the Mets about building a hockey arena next to Citi Field in Flushing, according to Bloomberg, which did not cite anyone by name. The discussions have been going on for months.

Islanders May Move From Brooklyn To Queens With Mets’ Help

The Islanders’ new owners, Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin, took over from Charles Wang on July 1. Both teams’ owners stated that the arena would be built “if the Islanders’ owners and arena officials can’t agree on a series of hockey-specific improvements” to Barclays Center.

The New York Post reported in February that both sides were “secretly exploring ways to cut ties or modify the existing terms of their lease.”

The Barclays Center is also home to the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.

The report of the Islanders’ talks with the Mets appeared to surprise a spokesman for Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, which manages the Nets and Barclays Center.

“Last week, Jon Ledecky said to the media and later to fans at a town-hall meeting that ‘Barclays is our home,’” said Barry Baum, the spokesman. “Any other questions should be addressed to Islanders’ ownership.”

The Islanders and the Mets declined to comment. Sterling Equities, the holding company for the Mets, is collaborating with the Related Companies to redevelop the Willets Point area adjacent to Citi Field.

Ledecky and Malkin seem to believe a location for a new arena in Queens may be more lucrative and a bit closer to the team’s longtime former home, the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale.

Barclays is a small arena by NHL standards, with a capacity of 15,700 for hockey, according to Bloomberg. It was built for the Nets as a basketball arena; when configured for hockey, there are obstructed-view seats. More specifically, about 1,500 seats have an obstructed view of the ice during hockey games. According to the Bloomberg report, attendance was down by about 11 percent from the previous season at the Nassau Coliseum.

Players have also complained about subpar ice conditions, and train schedules from Long Island were inconsistent early in the season. Attendance averaged 13,626 a game, 28th in the league, and below the 15,334 average for the final season at Nassau Coliseum.

Barclays Center and the Islanders each have the option to opt out of their 25-year lease after the 2018-19 season.

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 03: Josh Bailey #12 of the New York Islanders (l) celebrates his second goal of the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at 2:27 of the third period on the powerplay in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Barclays Center on May 03, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)