All right, buckle up, because today's deep dive takes us right into the heart of New York City. Medicine Square Garden. I mean, come on, the name alone just screams legendary, am I right?
Speaker 2:No argument there. It's about as iconic as it gets.
Speaker 1:But get this. You sent over this article and wow, it turns out. Msg is way more than just a building right, oh, absolutely.
Speaker 2:It's like a century's worth of New York's history all rolled into one, from its very beginnings. You see this incredible story of how the city itself changed, all reflected in this one place.
Speaker 1:And I thought I knew a thing or two about MSG. I mean, I've been to a few Knicks games, yelled myself hoarse at a concert or two.
Speaker 2:Right, who hasn't? It's like a rite of passage in the city, totally.
Speaker 1:But get this apparently there have been four different Madison Square Gardens. Four.
Speaker 2:Yeah, four distinct eras of MSG, and each one tells us something about what New Yorkers valued at the time. You want to start at the very beginning.
Speaker 1:Let's do it. Take me back to MSG 1.0. What was that all about?
Speaker 2:Picture this it's 1879, the first Madison Square Garden. And who's the brains behind it? Pt Barnum.
Speaker 1:Wait that PT Barnum, the circus guy.
Speaker 2:The one and only Talk about a far cry from Billy Joel. Right, this MSG was all about spectacle A place for Barnum's circus elephants to strut their stuff.
Speaker 1:Wow, just wow. I'm already picturing the cotton candy stands and everything. But it was Barnum's brainchild. Why did they move on from it so fast?
Speaker 2:Well, imagine 10,000 people crammed together trying to enjoy a show in the middle of a New York winter. Because, you see, the original MSG was open air, no route.
Speaker 1:Oh no, I can only imagine how many scarves and mittens they went through back then.
Speaker 2:Right, Not exactly the ideal concert venue when the snow starts falling. So the ideal concert venue when the snow starts falling. So yeah, MSG version 1.0, a fun experiment but not built to last.
Speaker 1:Practicality wins out. So on to MSG number two. This is when things get really interesting, right? The Gilded Cage as they call it.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, now we're talking. Built in 1890, this MSG was all about opulence. 32 stories high, crowned with a statue of the Roman goddess Diana, designed to be the place to see and be seen Think high society, laddish parties the whole nine yards.
Speaker 1:This is giving me some serious Great Gatsby vibes.
Speaker 2:Right, champagne wishes and caviar dreams. It was a statement. But even with all that glamour, the article mentions that MSG Deesit actually struggled financially.
Speaker 1:Really, even in the Gilded Age, money couldn't buy you everything, huh. So what happened?
Speaker 2:Well, even in a city known for its extravagance, I guess, tastes change. Sometimes even the most over-the-top ideas, they just they hit their limit.
Speaker 1:Makes you wonder if those Gilded Age partygoers ever imagined their beloved MSG hosting like a monster truck rally someday.
Speaker 2:Talk about a change of pace, but speaking of change, msg to second bites the dust and what comes next? Well, this is where things really start to sound familiar.
Speaker 1:This is where we enter the era of boxing right. Msg is the ultimate sporting arena.
Speaker 2:You got it Madison Square Garden III, the brainchild of a guy named Tex Rickard, and he had this vision right Less fancy parties, more knockdown, drag out fights. And it totally worked. This is when MSG really cemented its place in sports history.
Speaker 1:Okay, so we're talking 1925 to 1968 for this version. This is when boxing was huge in America. Didn't some seriously legendary fights happen there?
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely. We're talking names like Joe Louis, sugar Ray Robinson. These guys were icons, legends, and their fights at MSG, those weren't just sporting events, they were cultural moments. The atmosphere must have been electric.
Speaker 1:Man, I wish we had a time machine. I'd love to just be a fly on the wall for one of those nights. But this is also where things get kind of controversial, right?
Speaker 2:Ah, you're talking about Penn Station.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because in order to build MSG III, they had to demolish the original Penn Station, which, from what I've heard, was a pretty big deal.
Speaker 2:It was a huge deal. I mean imagine tearing down Grand Central Station. Today People were outraged and, honestly, for good reason. Penn Station was a masterpiece and its demolition it actually sparked a whole movement for historical preservation. People started to really think about what we choose to save, what we choose to tear down and what that says about us.
Speaker 1:Wow. So MSG3 didn't just change the game for sports, it kind of changed the game for how we think about history too.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and it's a conversation that's still going on today, especially when you consider the future of the current Madison Square Garden.
Speaker 1:Which, speaking of, brings us to MSGAV, the one we all know and love. Sometimes Opened since 1968, it's hosted everything you can imagine Basketball, hockey, concerts, I mean, name a big event and it's probably happened under that roof.
Speaker 2:Right, elvis, led Zeppelin, michael Jackson, you name it. It feels like this version of MSG became less about any one thing and more about just being the place for, well, everything.
Speaker 1:Right Like it's not just a sports arena, it's not just a concert venue, it's MSG, and that means something in itself. Of course, no good story is without a little drama.
Speaker 2:Oh, you're talking about the Dolans.
Speaker 1:The Dolans, the current owners. Look, I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on the ins and outs of their whole deal.
Speaker 2:But for what I gathered in the article, they've had their fair share of controversy over the years. Yeah, their time running MSG it's been eventful tax disputes, rumors of them wanting to move the arena. They're a powerful family, that's for sure, and their influence on MSG is huge.
Speaker 1:Which leads us to, I think, the biggest cliffhanger in the MSG saga its future, because that lease on their current spot, it's not forever right. So what happens when that lease runs out? Did the Dolans pack their bags and head for, like Brooklyn? Do we get MSG 5.0?
Speaker 2:Well, that's the million-dollar question, isn't it? And, honestly, the article kind of leaves things open-ended. There are those who say, hey, here's a crazy idea, let's just rebuild the original Penn Station.
Speaker 1:Right on top of the current MSG.
Speaker 2:Whoa, exactly Imagine the headlines Talk about writing a historical wrong, but something tells me it's not quite that simple.
Speaker 1:I'd say not. I mean MSG has some diehard fans. It's been a part of their lives for generations. To move it even for a good reason it would be a tough pill to swallow for a lot of people.
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely. It's like those walls hold a lot of memories. And then, of course, you've got the whole economic side of things. Msg brings a ton of money into the city.
Speaker 1:Right Moving. It isn't just about finding a new parking lot.
Speaker 2:Exactly. It's complicated, and that's what I love about this whole story. It's not just about an arena. It's about what matters to us History, progress, memories, figuring out how those pieces fit together.
Speaker 1:It's about the soul of a city, right.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:What we choose to hold on to, what we choose to let go of.
Speaker 2:And what we might do differently if we had a time machine. Can you imagine what those early New Yorkers, the ones braving the snow at that Dupin Air MSG, what they think of all this?
Speaker 1:It's mind blowing, right? I mean, it just goes to show you cities, they're alive, they change, they adapt, just like we do, and sometimes the buildings we create they become like these living, breathing records of that whole journey.
Speaker 2:Totally Like chapters in a never ending story, and that's what's so cool about this deep dive.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we've uncovered all this fascinating history, but it feels less like the end and more like to be continued Right. What does the future hold for MSG? Another hundred years from now, will we be talking about MSG 10.0 hovering over the city, or something?
Speaker 2:Who knows? But one thing's for sure whatever happens, it'll be a story. And for those listening thinking, wow, that's cool. But what about my city? Don't underestimate the power of your own local history. What are the places that tell its story, the landmarks that have seen it all? Do some digging. You might be surprised what you find.
Speaker 1:And hey, if you uncover any juicy MSG-level drama, you know where to find us. But for now that's a wrap on our deep dive into the wild world of Madison Square Garden. Until next time, happy exploring.