Albany tavern owner wants to save Empire

A local business owner is hoping to save the Albany Empire arena football team.

Todd Shapiro, the owner of the War Room Tavern in downtown Albany, appealed to the National Arena League Tuesday to reinstate the Empire.

Their absence will cause damage to both local businesses and to the city’s civic pride, Shapiro said.
He even offered to help raise the $21,000 in dues that the team owes the league.

“I will pay every dollar of that money that they need to bring it back here, and we will start a GoFundMe page if there’s any penalties or anything like that,” said Shapiro. “But to take the team away from the families, the fans, our customers, you know, it’s not right.”

War room sales would increase by about 20% on game days, which he says is in line with other downtown restaurants and bars.