This morning's TORONTO STAR reports that the Raptors have
offered Canada Post as little as C$14M for a "prime downtown site
that's worth at least four times that much."  The property is on
Canada Post's books for C$65M.  The package "recently pitched" to
the post office by the Raptors is said to come in the form of
C$3M cash and C$1M a year for 50 years, with half the money to
come from "marketing rights."  These "rights" could range from
naming the arena after a sponsor to putting a logo on the roof to
setting up a "giant video display ad board within view" of an
area expressway.  The Raptors are "under pressure" to find a site
because "unless construction begins before next October 1, they
must pay" C$1M to the Ontario government (David Israelson,
TORONTO STAR, 11/9).

     Marion Barry's victory yesterday could have an impact on
Redskins Owner Jack Kent Cooke's desire to build a new stadium
for his team.  RFK is one of only two facilities in the NFL with
no luxury boxes and has the lowest capacity of any facility in
the league.  Cooke would like to move to Laurel, MD, and build a
privately financed 75,000-plus seat stadium.  But a recent ruling
by an Anne Arundel County official has increased speculation that
Cooke and Barry will try to make a new deal to keep the team in
Washington.   THE SPORTS BUSINESS DAILY today looks at RFK
Stadium.


  
 
    
STADIUM:
    
RFK 
      Stadium, Washington, DC
  
  
 
    
AGE:
    
Stadium built in 1961
  
  
 
    
CAPACITY:
    
57,000 -- lowest capacity 
      in the NFL.
  
  
 
    
LUXURY

      BOXES:
    
None. Only the Raiders 
      also lack luxury seating.
  
  
 
    
OWNERSHIP:
    
District of Columbia 
      owns the stadium. U.S. Dept. of 

      Interior owns the land.
  
  
 
    
COST:
    
$19.5 million, paid 
      for by bonds. There is no debt on the

      stadium.
  
  
 
    
RENOVATION:
    
$7M of structural and 
      cosmetic renovation in the past 10

      years.
  
  
 
    
CONCESSIONS:
    
B&B Caterers of Washington 
      DC. Revenue split: 36% goes

      to the stadium, 44% to B&B, and 20% to the Redskins.
  
  
 
    
PARKING:
    
12,000 parking spots 
      with a $6-10 parking charge. 

      Redskins get 25% of total revenue.
  
  
 
    
LEASE:
    
The team has an option 
      on the lease in 1996.
  
  
 
    
ADVERTISING:
    
Team gets 25% of revenue, 
      city gets 75% of stadium 

      advertising.
  
  
 
    
RENT:
    
Estimated at $2 million 
      -- approximately 7th highest in the 

      league.
  
  
 
    
PUBLIC 
      $:
    
Zero.
  

(Source: Jim Dalrymple/RFK Stadium; rent and public subsidy
figure from Florida Times-Union article on July 24, 1994).