On Tuesday, Bowery Boogie posted a rumor that retired NBA great Steve Nash offered to pay to repair a decrepit soccer field in the Lower East Side’s Sara D. Roosevelt Park, but the city turned down his offer due to “bureaucratic bullshit,” according to Bowery Boogie’s inside source.
The soccer field on Stanton Street was built by Nike just 9 years ago, but Bowery Boogie has been documenting its deterioration for a while now. In January, the site posted photos of the torn-up turf and reported that the Parks Department “considers repair a priority.” Last summer, Bowery Boogie spoke to two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash himself, who said “I think we need new turf. We’ve tried in the past, we’d like to work towards getting new turf for that park.” Apparently, he wasn’t just saying that, and he tried to put his money where his mouth is, only to be rebuffed. Nash is a New York City resident and soccer fanatic, and his foundation had hosted a charity soccer tournament in the park every June since 2008 until last year, as no tournament is currently scheduled for this summer. A representative from the Steve Nash Foundation declined to comment on the rumor.
A Parks Department representative told ANIMAL, “NYC Parks is currently talking to different parties interested in this field, and no final decisions have been made. We’re looking forward to finding a partner to get this field in tournament shape this summer for the soccer lovers of the Lower East Side.”
(Photo: Bowery Boogie)
