NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was in Toronto yesterday
     at the Canadian Sports Media achievement awards luncheon. 
     During his visit, Bettman discussed the state of the league
     with local writers.  On the sparse attendance for the second
     Hurricanes home game: "There's no surprise here.  You're
     dealing with a situation where the team is playing over 70
     miles from its permanent home.  We knew ... this would be a
     problem, particularly on weeknights."  Bettman likened the
     situation to the NFL's Oilers who are experiencing
     attendance problems while playing in Memphis temporarily
     before moving to Nashville.  Regarding the number of player
     holdouts and the increasing team payrolls, Bettman said,
     "You have to look at these things over time. ... We've had
     holdouts in prior years.  It's easy to say, 'Oh my, look at
     this.'  But if you go back over time holdouts have happened.
     ... The thing you have to look at over time is: Are our
     revenues and our salaries, our players costs, increasing
     about the same rate?  My preference is that our revenues
     increase faster than the salaries, which is what's been
     happening for the past few years."  Bettman said that he had
     "no news" concerning the sale of the Oilers (David Shoalts,
     Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 10/9).  He also added that the sale of
     the Islanders is a "work in progress" (CP, 10/9).
          FAMILIAR REFRAIN: Fox Sports Net's John Walsh reported
     on the increase in NHL salaries, noting that they have risen
     "a shocking" 265% in the last six years.  Walsh: "Who's to
     blame for these salaries?  One argument says that it's the
     GMs' fault ... the other school of thought is that it's the
     players who are just too greedy ... So general managers have
     to adjust; now they see athletes as investments and not just
     talented hockey players."  Flyers GM Bobby Clarke: "[W]e
     have a great sport to sell, but we don't know how to raise
     the revenues to pay the salaries that are being demanded by
     our players ... We're one of the high revenue teams in the
     league, and we're really concerned with where this is going. 
     And we don't know ... how to put the brakes on."  Kings GM
     Dave Taylor: "[I]t's going to be very difficult for the
     small markets to compete" ("Fox Sports News," FSN, 10/8).

          Former U.S. Senator Thomas Eagleton "sparred for more
     than two hours" Wednesday with NFL attorney Frank Rothman
     over league guidelines and the Rams' move from California to
     St. Louis, according to William Lhotka of the ST. LOUIS
     POST-DISPATCH.  The testimony came during the third day of
     the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission's (CVC)
     $130M antitrust suit against the NFL.  Eagleton is the
     former head of FANS, Inc., which led the drive to lure the
     Rams, and is "a key witness" for the CVC.  Eagleton said the
     reason NFL owners rejected to team's move in March of '95
     and approved it a month later was the agreement to pay a
     $29M relocation fee and make other concessions.  Eagleton:
     "M-O-N-E-Y, that's what changed the decision between the two
     meetings, money."  But under cross examination, the NFL's
     Rothman questioned Eagleton about his role in supporting
     legislation while a U.S. Senator that would have exempted
     the NFL and other pro sports from antitrust laws, which
     would have "set guidelines for team relocation that are
     nearly identical to the guidelines now on NFL books." 
     Eagleton said he introduced that measure to prevent Bill
     Bidwill, Owner of NFL's St. Louis Cardinals, from moving to
     Arizona.  In other news, Judge Jean Hamilton "agreed to a
     key defense request -- that the jury not hear any evidence
     about relocation fees or other issues relating to three
     other NFL team moves.  The judge ruled that because these
     moves took place after the Rams moved to St. Louis, they
     aren't part of the trial."  U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt also
     testified and said that he initiated contact with the Rams
     in early '94 about moving (POST-DISPATCH, 10/9).

          The '97-98 NBA season is previewed by Mike Lupica in
     MEN'S JOURNAL.  Under the header, "Anyone But Mike," Lupica
     questions which, if any, of the NBA's young players are
     ready to carry the league's torch after Michael Jordan
     departs.  Lupica: "For some time now, the league has been
     hiding more garbage behind Jordan than Hollywood hid behind
     Harrison Ford in Air Force One.  Now let's find out if there
     really is life after Jordan.  ... [W]ithout Jordan , is
     there one player, above all others, who can get us to stay
     tuned?"  Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, Shaquille O'Neal and
     Kevin Garnett are noted as possible successors.  Hawks Coach
     Lenny Wilkens: "The league wants it to be Grant, I know that
     ... But ... I'm not sure if Grant can ever be that guy." 
     Wilkens "nominates" Hardaway: "He doesn't have just the
     game.  I believe he can have the personality, too."  TNT's
     Doc Rivers: "I believe Garnett might be the one to watch,
     just in terms of star quality."  Red Auerbach singles out
     O'Neal: "[H]e does have that smile."  Lupica writes that
     "[m]arketing is a sacrament in pro basketball" and that
     Hill, Hardaway, and O'Neal have been "marketed beautifully." 
     He adds that Jordan's coming retirement "doesn't mean we're
     moving up on some sort of October 1929 for the NBA ...
     Ratings are good, revenues are sky-high ... the sport is
     gaining popularity all over the world.  But nothing lasts
     forever" (MEN'S JOURNAL, 11/97 issue). 

          Today, THE DAILY lists the average gross ticket price
     of each NFL team in '97.  Figures are based on the number of
     seats at each individual ticket price, when made available. 
     Club and suite seats are not included.  Note: (a) indicates
     a figure based on an approximation given by the club.  

          

  
 
    
NFC 
      TEAM
    
 
      
'97
    
    
 
      
'96
    
    

    
AFC 
      TEAM
    
'97
    
'96
  
  
 
    
WAS
    
 
      
$52.92 
        
    
    
 
      
$40.67 
        
    
    
OAK
    
 
      
$51.11 
        
    
    
 
      
$51.11 
        
    
  
  
 
    
SFO
    
 
      
45
    
    
 
      
45
    
    
SDC
    
 
      
43.24
    
    
 
      
35.02
    
  
  
 
    
NYG
    
 
      
40.85
    
    
 
      
36
    
    
TEN
    
 
      
40.36
    
    
 
      
31.76
    
  
  
 
    
CAR
    
 
      
40.35
    
    
 
      
39.26
    
    
NEP-a
    
 
      
39.55
    
    
 
      
34
    
  
  
 
    
DAL
    
 
      
39.95
    
    
 
      
39.39
    
    
BAL
    
 
      
39.27
    
    
 
      
41.56
    
  
  
 
    
MIN
    
 
      
39.78
    
    
 
      
29.5
    
    
KCC
    
 
      
38
    
    
 
      
32
    
  
  
 
    
CHI
    
 
      
38.18
    
    
 
      
38.56
    
    
JAX
    
 
      
37
    
    
 
      
37
    
  
  
 
    
PHI
    
 
      
38.02
    
    
 
      
38
    
    
PIT
    
 
      
36.06
    
    
 
      
34.34
    
  
  
 
    
DET
    
 
      
35.87
    
    
 
      
35
    
    
BUF
    
 
      
35.58
    
    
 
      
32
    
  
  
 
    
GBP
    
 
      
35.55
    
    
 
      
31.14
    
    
CIN
    
 
      
35.1
    
    
 
      
35.1
    
  
  
 
    
TBB
    
 
      
35.46
    
    
 
      
31.5
    
    
DEN
    
 
      
35
    
    
 
      
35
    
  
  
 
    
ARZ-a
    
 
      
35.44
    
    
 
      
33.28
    
    
IND-a
    
 
      
34.42
    
    
 
      
32.03
    
  
  
 
    
STL
    
 
      
34.26
    
    
 
      
34.27
    
    
MIA-a
    
 
      
34.3
    
    
 
      
33
    
  
  
 
    
NOS
    
 
      
30.63
    
    
 
      
32
    
    
SEA
    
 
      
32.65
    
    
 
      
34.32
    
  
  
 
    
ATL
    
 
      
30.32
    
    
 
      
31
    
    
NYJ
    
 
      
31.08
    
    
 
      
25
    
  

        
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