HOUSTON SALES: The "majority" of the 41,000 PSLs for
Houston's NFL expansion franchise that went on sale
Thanksgiving Day "are going to be sold by Christmas Day."
With the commitments, team Owner Bob McNair said that the
$50M in PSL revenues "obligated to go toward stadium
construction is in the bank." Additionally, the team has
received 400 inquiries regarding the 166 luxury boxes, and a
"dozen were locked up last week" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 12/20).
CHOICE SEATS: MSG has installed ChoiceSeat (CSI) video
monitors "in luxury suites and on the backs of some club
seats, becoming the first U.S. arena to offer that
technology." The SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Andy Bernstein
calls the MSG installation CSI's "most ambitious to date,"
as the system is "wired into all 88 luxury suites and two
sections of club seats." CSI says that by next season, all
3,000 seats in MSG's "lowest seating tier will feature the
screens" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 12/20 issue).
NOTES: In Charlotte, Tom Sorensen writes under the
header, "Support New Arena? Not on [Hornets Owner George]
Shinn's Watch." Sorensen: "If there were a referendum, the
Hornets would have to win a championship, or come close,
before they would even have a chance to get it passed. ... I
care where my money goes. And I'm here to tell you I don't
want a dollar of it to go to George Shinn" (CHARLOTTE
OBSERVER, 12/21)....WI Gov. Tommy Thompson "gave a positive
review" yesterday to the Packers' efforts "to build support
for public financing" of a new stadium or a renovated
Lambeau Field. Thompson: "[Packers President] Bob Harlan is
certainly doing the correct thing by coming down and
explaining his problems to members of the Legislature . ..
and also to the press" (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 12/21).
....RDV Sports and FL-based Arena Entertainment are "putting
a private club" in the Magic's old offices on Orlando
Arena's ground floor for Magic, Miracle and Solar Bears
season-ticket holders. The club will be called Fuente Opus
X Club & Business Center and the price of a one-year
membership is $1,250 (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 12/20).
