FOOD FIGHT AS MAJOR LEAGUES RACE TO OPEN THEME RESTAURANTS

     Three pro sports leagues are "waging a race" to open "mega-
theme restaurants and stores" throughout Midtown Manhattan,
according to Peter Slatin of the N.Y. POST.  The NBA and NFL are
"neck and neck at the finish," while the NHL "is facing a shut-
out."  The NBA and NFL have chosen locations -- near Rockefeller
Center and Times Square, respectively -- that reflect the
"enormous confidence" they have in the "drawing power of their
merchandising muscle."  The NBA "has locked up" space at 666
Fifth Avenue, while the NFL "has grabbed" space at 1633 Broadway,
and "may be signing a lease as early as today."  The new "league-
based extravaganzas go way beyond food and drink," with a "a huge
range of merchandise for sale," as well as "broadcast
operations," and "star-athlete interviews."  Real estate sources
tell the N.Y. POST that the NHL "failed twice" to sign leases on
West 57th Street.  Slatin notes the league is now "scouring Fifth
Avenue for the appropriate site" (Peter Slatin, N.Y. POST, 9/20).