Ascent Entertainment, owner of the Nuggets and Avalanche,
has threatened to build the planned $150M Pepsi Center in the
Denver suburbs if "bickering" between the city and company does
not end, according to the ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS. Ascent recently
issued a revised offer to build the arena. However, Denver Mayor
Wellington Webb says the plan "raises a lot of concerns"
including what the city would do without the "seat tax" it
currently enjoys at McNichols Arena. Webb: "They can sit down
and see what the city's offer might include or they can continue
their Art Modell method of negotiation" (Lynn Bartels, ROCKY
MOUNTAIN NEWS, 7/27). Two possible sites are a 60-acre tract
adjacent to a planned sports/entertainment complex in Douglas
County and a site near the Broncos HQs and training facility in
Arapahoe County (Shelley Gonzales, ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 7/27).
PAT'S HAND: To win public support for a new stadium,
Broncos Owner Pat Bowlen must face the "daunting task" of
overcoming the perception he is "distant, aloof and even
superior," according to the ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS. Bowlen
disagrees: "It shouldn't be an emotional issue. And I shouldn't
be the focus" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 7/27).
