The Bucs have sold out all luxury suites at the new
Raymond James Stadium. Of the 163 leased suites, more than
80% signed 10-year contracts, with the rest leased for six
and seven years. Five of the suites will be leased on a
single-game basis (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 7/28).....Sue House was
elected Monday as Chair of the Tampa Sports Authority,
succeeding Sandy McKinnon (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 7/28)....Louis
Armstrong Stadium, part of the National Tennis Center in
Flushing, NY, has been downsized by the USTA from 23,000
seats to 9,500. Courtside box seats are sold out for the
U.S. Open, but the remainder of seats will be unreserved
(Newark STAR-LEDGER, 7/27)....In Pittsburgh, Suzanne Elliott
reported that the "cash-starved" Penguins have sent a second
proposal to Allegheny Energy regarding naming rights to the
Civic Arena. But the team "failed to tell" the Public
Auditorium Authority, which owns the facility, about its
latest offer (Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 7/25)....Former
49ers President Carmen Policy said that acting 49ers CEO
Larry Thrailkill's involvement with the team "at this point
in time is very important, because [he] understands the
dynamic of our stadium project, and that is key, critical
and truly vital to the welfare and the very future existence
of the 49ers." Policy, on what effect his exit from the
49ers will have on the stadium project: "I'm thinking that
it won't have any effect ("Up Close," ESPN, 7/27).
