CHARGERS TICKET SALES POINTS TO CITY PAYING MORE IN RENT

          Heading into their home-opener Sunday, the Chargers are
     "lagging in ticket sales," having sold 51,500 general
     admission tickets, according to Barry Bloom of the SAN DIEGO
     UNION-TRIBUNE.  In light of "a guarantee" of 60,000 tickets
     sold per game, the city of San Diego "could be on the hook"
     for $2.3M to $4.1M "if ticket sales do not improve," meaning
     the Chargers could pay "as little as" $2.2M in rent this
     season, rather than a projected $6.3M.  The city of San
     Diego guaranteed the sale of 60,000 tickets per game as part
     of a $78M deal to extend the team's lease and facility
     expansion (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/10).  As of Tuesday,
     the Chargers needed to sell about 6,900 tickets to avoid
     their first local blackout since '94 (UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/10).