SPOTLIGHT ON COLUMBUS: USA TODAY's Jose Alfredo Flores
writes that Columbus Crew Stadium "will be showcased as the
prototype for other MLS teams to follow" during Saturday's
MLS All-Star Game. Wizards/Crew Operator Lamar Hunt:
"Building stadiums to fit the size of our audience is
certainly the biggest need we have as a league." Flores
adds with teams playing in larger stadiums today, "The
biggest issue probably is the image created by the many
seats that remain empty, even when teams draw crowds that
meet MLS' expectations." Burn President & GM Andy Swift:
"The media's perception is if we don't sell out our games,
we look like a failure even though we're hitting our
attendance goals. We average the same as the Mavericks, but
no one complains since they play in an [18,187-seat] arena"
(USA TODAY, 7/28). Saturday's game at the 22,555-seat
stadium "will be a sellout," as only about 130 single seats
remain (Craig Merz, COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 7/28).
SEX SELLS? AFL Avengers Owner Casey Wasserman, on the
team's controversial billboards in L.A. (see THE DAILY,
2/28): "We knew that we had to make a statement with our
billboards, maybe offend some people. But ultimately,
there's a lot more people who know what the Avengers are and
how they play Arena football ... and we had to take that
chance and I couldn't be more pleased with the results."
AFL Commissioner David Baker feels "the [AFL] ... is about
to be the next major league sport" (TNN, 7/27).
NTRA: The NTRA has formed a Task Force on Regulation to
be chaired by thoroughbred owner/breeder Robert McNair. The
purpose of the Task Force is to study the impact of economic
regulation including taxation on the horse racing industry,
with the goal of identifying areas for reduction or
improvement of such regulation. The Task Force will conduct
its first meeting in August (NTRA).
