NEWSDAY STUDIES BOOM IN PRO-TEAM STADIUMS

     Concluding that "public money is increasingly being used to
fuel private fortunes," NEWSDAY examines the new stadium "boom"
in a series of articles.  NEWSDAY obtained financial data on 38
sports facilities built or planned during the last six years and
used a computer model to examine the public's share of the cost.
NEWSDAY's John Riley writes that construction costs alone are
expected to run at least $8.1B for the 21 stadiums and 17 arenas
examined and that of that figure, taxpayers are slated to pay
about $4.7B.  Other analysis showed new stadiums produce riches
for players, with average salaries increasing in cities with new
facilities; fans pay "significantly more" in ticket and
concession prices; and stadium revenues produce an "explosion" in
team values for owners (NEWSDAY, 8/18).