Bullets and Capitals Owner Abe Pollin agreed to finance a
proposed $180M, 23,000+ seat arena in downtown DC.  The deal,
announced on December 28, will relieve DC from the $92M which the
city was expected to contribute under previous plans.  Pollin
will provide the money for all construction costs, including
overruns, while DC will provide the site and some infrastructure
such as water and sewers.  In return, DC will be given ownership
of the arena in 30 years (Howard Schneider, WASHINGTON POST,
12/29).  Pollin called the project the city's "last chance for a
serious economic revival."  But he did not explain how he would
fund the project: "I have no idea where the money is coming from
at this moment. ... I decided to take a risk" (David Alan Coia,
WASHINGTON TIMES, 12/29).  Pollin said his change of heart in
deciding to finance the entire project had nothing to do with
Black Entertainment Television President Robert Johnson's offer
to finance the project in exchange for a possible stake in the
Bullets and Capitals.  Johnson had threatened to push for defeat
of a publicly funded project if Pollin did not work under his
proposal  (William Gildea, WASHINGTON POST, 1/1.)
     QUESTIONS REMAIN:  Analysts believe Pollin will be asked to
put up "a big chunk of cash from his personal coffers -- possibly
$50 million or more" before receiving additional financing.
"Pollin is expected to try to prove to bankers that the new arena
will boost the value of his teams by millions of dollars.
Analysts say that he will need to win that point because he will
need to use at leats part of the value of his teams, along with
the new arena itself, as collateral for his massive debt to build
the new arena."  Pollin also faces dealing with the fate of USAir
Arena, of which he is majority owner.  According to county
records, his debt on the property is more than $35M (Anthony
Faiolo, WASHINGTON POST, 12/29).

     The Denver Nuggets are close to a deal with the City of
Denver that would allow the team to build a privately-financed
$135M arena downtown.  Talks are proceeding and a final agreement
is expected soon after a city task force gives Mayor Wellington
Webb its recommendation (Brian Weber, ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS,
12/28)....Coors Field will not be the home of any football games
or monster truck rallies, says Tom Gleason of the Denver
Metropolitan Major League Baseball Stadium District.  The
prospects of crowds and stages trampling the new park's $495,000
field don't please stadium or team officials (ROCKY MOUNTAIN
NEWS, 12/31)....A ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS editorial states that the
paper is "not crazy" about the Broncos' proposal for a new
stadium paid for by $150M in public funds and $50M from the team.
The paper does call for the team's present lease with Mile High
to be renegotiated (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 12/28).

     MI Governor John Engler has agreed to back a plan to build a
new stadium for the Tigers in downtown Detroit, joining Detroit
Mayor Dennis Archer and Tigers owner Mike Ilitch (Mult.,
1/2)....MA House Speaker Charles Flaherty said he will convene a
summit meeting "by mid January at the latest," in an effort to
get an agreement on the possible construction of a $500M megaplex
convention and sports stadium complex in downtown Boston (BOSTON
GLOBE, 12/28).... Richardson Sports, the owners of the Carolina
Panthers, responded to accusations of a lack of minority
contractors.  According to Richardson, 30 minority firms have
accounted for 20% of the dollar value of the work done on the new
Carolinas Stadium (Tawn Nhan, CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 12/26).