PALTRY MEMPHIS ATTENDANCE COULD LEAD TO LIBERTY BOWL LOSSES

          The NFL Oilers season opener against the Raiders at
     Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium "is shaping up as a big loss
     for the organization in the stands and luxury boxes,"
     according to Thomas Harding of the Memphis COMMERCIAL
     APPEAL.  Oilers VP Don MacLachlan said yesterday that the
     team has sold about 21,500 of the 62,380 available tickets
     and 26 of 40 skyboxes.  He added that he "still expects" a
     crowd of 35,000.  But the COMMERICAL APPEAL's Harding
     reports that if "at least" 30,000 tickets, not including
     skyboxes and club seats, aren't sold, the Liberty Bowl won't
     meet its operating expenses of $30,000 a game.  The Oilers
     pay the city $1 in rent for each ticket sold.  Harding also
     reports that the sale of Stadium Club seats "hasn't gone
     well," so the Oilers have lowered prices from $277 a seat
     per game to $200.  They are also now being sold for single
     games; before they were sold only as a season package
     (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 8/27).  The game will be blacked
     out on Memphis' WMC-TV (COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 8/27).