Houston's business community was "caught flatfooted" by
Oilers Owner Bud Adams' threat to move his team to Nashville "and
their efforts to keep the team seem to be in disarray," writes
John Williams in this morning's HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Two campaigns
have begun to raise private funds to build a domed-stadium in
downtown Houston, but some are "skeptical" anything will be done.
Jim Kollaer, President of the Greater Houston Partnership, told
the CHRONICLE that Adams "has generated so much animosity that
few will support him." Sources say Nashville is "working out a
deal that would be comparable" to St. Louis' for the Rams,
including: free use of a 75,000-seat stadium; a guarantee of
65,000 seats sold for the next 10 years; 100% of parking and
concessions sales. On Monday, TX Gov. George W. Bush said the
state would not help fund a new dome. Bush, who owns part of the
Rangers -- a team which received a new stadium from a .5%
municipal sales tax in Arlington: "The state of Texas is not
going to come to sports franchises with a goody basket worth of
tax breaks or outright cash grants. That's not the role of the
states, in my opinion" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 8/15).
LOYAL OILERS: Oilers Exec VP Mike McClure said the team
will still hold its '96 training camp at San Antonio's Trinity
University -- even if they move to TN. Jerry Briggs writes in
this morning's SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS that the team is under
contract with Trinity until after next year's camp. The team is
also scheduled to play the Cowboys in San Antonio for the annual
"Governor's Cup" exhibition game series in '96 and '97 (SAN
ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 8/15).
