With billions of taxpayer dollars and the future of a neighborhood at stake, the battle over a west side stadium consumes New York City for two years. The New York Jets want to build a new home over the Hudson Rail Yards, the last frontier for Manhattan development. The Mayor wants to catalyze the transformation of the far west side, and his Deputy Mayor, Daniel Doctoroff, needs a marquee venue for a bid to win the Summer Olympic Games. Opposed to competition, Madison Square Garden wages a 50 million dollar war against the proposal. Hell's Kitchen residents struggle to preserve their community in the shadow of midtown, while the city's construction unions, confronted with a post-911 lull in building, fight for the promise of thousands of new jobs. With New York's biggest players at the line of scrimmage, what follows is one of the most bitterly contested political brawls in the city's history.
—Benjamin Rosen