As the San Antonio City Council prepares for a public
hearing tonight on the Spurs' proposal for a new arena, team
Chair Peter Holt said that he would not abandon plans for
the abandoned quarry site in the Northeast Side of the city,
according to Christopher Anderson of the SAN ANTONIO
EXPRESS-NEWS. Holt: "We're going to keep this going. We're
not quitting" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 12/10). Meanwhile,
two consultant reports on the team's economic impact on the
city will be presented during the City Council hearing
tonight. One report by Texas Perspectives, Inc., will show
that $33.2M, or 54% of the Spurs' revenue from the '97-98
season, came from outside Bexar County. Most of those funds
come from the team's share of the NBA's national broadcast
deals, "non-national media and ticket sales to fans outside
Bexar County." If the Spurs leave downtown, city merchants
could "see sales drop" 0.25% to 1.47%. Texas Perspectives
Managing Dir Jon Hockenyos wrote in the study that the
"economic effect of the team operations is not sufficient by
itself to justify the full subsidization of a new $156
million arena" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 12/10).
