The public cost of bringing pro football to MD "seems
to be going up and up," according to Michael Abramowitz of
the WASHINGTON POST. The state General Assembly approved
$270M to help finance new facilities for the Redskins and
Ravens last spring, but MD Gov. Parris Glendening recently
proposed an additional $14M in "unanticipated spending for
transportation improvements associated with the two
projects." Abramowitz reported that the $200M financing
plan for the Ravens stadium at Camden Yards "has run into
several problems that mean state officials must find" $10M
more "to plug a gap." The state lottery isn't generating
the revenue expected for the Ravens facility, and a promised
$5M from Ravens' season-ticket licenses "failed to
materialize." MD stadium officials "insist they can cover
the shortfall without returning to the General Assembly for
more funds." John Moag, chair of the MD Stadium Authority,
said "the authority is considering a range of options to
raise new revenue if needed," including selling naming
rights to the new stadium (WASHINGTON POST, 2/16).
