NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue held a conference call with
the national media yesterday regarding the state of the league,
team relocation, new stadiums, and the collective bargaining
agreement. Among the highlights:
SLOW TICKET SALES IN OAKLAND: "That is something you should
ask the Raiders about. I know they are dealing with it. I am
confident of the appeal of the Raiders. ... If they are not able
to [sell out] that would be something of a surprise, I think."
SEATTLE: Tagliabue said league reps have held talks with
officials of the Seahawks over their threat to relocate should
the Kingdome not be renovated. He also said that any talks the
Seahawks or the Behring family have had with L.A. officials were
"quite a while ago." Tagliabue: "The league has made it clear
that the placement of teams in Los Angeles is a league function
... and I think the Seahawks understand that and are operating
within the framework that has been legislated by the membership."
DEION: On the Deion Sanders sweepstakes and the rumor that
Nike could play a role in his contract: "Endorsement deals are
part of sports. They have been for many years. ... At the same
time we will look at anything ... that suggests that maybe there
is subsidizing of a contract."
LIVING WITH LABOR PEACE: Tagliabue: "On the subject of
extending the CBA, we have had some preliminary discussions. I am
sure we will have more."
FANS AS TAXPAYERS: Tagliabue was asked whether cities
should continue financing new stadiums and "subsidizing owners."
Tagliabue: "I don't know where the idea the taxpayers subsidizing
the owners comes from because taking in example the Carolinas,
they are building a stadium with private funds that are coming
from the fans. The most of the emphasis in the last several
years has been privatizing stadium financing. That is a fairly
new element in professional sports." Tagliabue called the
concept of the permanent seat license "a user fee as opposed to a
tax." Asked whether PSLs will price out the hard-core NFL fan,
Tagliabue said, "The lion's share of our fans are television
viewers and that is why our TV committee takes so much pain to
keep our games on broadcast TV. ... That is where we get 60
million as against 60,000 of our fans."
MORE ON THE PSL ISSUE: Pressed on the reluctance of some
fans (Tampa and Oakland) to commit to PSLs and what other avenues
of privatization exist if fans rejected that concept, Tagliabue
said the league has "been using a lot of resources from premium
seats under our league's policies. The visiting team waves its
share of premium seat revenues and we've been financing
renovations in Rich Stadium, the Superdome, new stadiums -- the
Georgia Dome -- with those resources which are totally distinct
and supplemental to PSLs. With the PSLs, in many ways I think
you have to go back to the original Carolinas concept, where 'P'
stood for permanent seat license, and not personal seat license.
There was a concept of permanence in terms of what the fan was
investing in in the Carolinas which I think was very important.
Plus, they put the stadium itself in a charitable trust,
basically a public facility financed with private individuals'
investment, and I think on that basis it will succeed. If the
public has a sense that it becomes a personal seat license, a
semi-permanent or short term seat license, then it meets a more
skeptical fan response in terms of whether it is a worthwhile
investment" (THE DAILY).
OTHER ISSUES: Tagliabue said the league is investigating
Dan Marino's stock deal with Dolphins Owner Wayne Huizenga and
its possible implications with the salary cap, noting that the
"integrity" of the cap was at issue (N.Y. TIMES, 8/31).
Tagliabue also said the league is investigating the Cowboys'
refusal to play nine starters in their final preseason game with
the facing fines for not taking a competitive approach (DALLAS
MORNING NEWS, 8/31).
