48 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 9, 1999
L.A. City Council
against using
Wunds on NFL
LOS ANGELES -- After a spirit- return an N
ed debate, the City Council went on said a new
record Tuesday as opposing the use benefit the
of existing public funds for an NFL rounding E
team, although it did leave some Counciln
loopholes. most adam
The resolution was largely a sym- tax-moneyi
bolic measure, since the city has had not b
'offered no taxpayer money to bring a teams that I
team to the city. the past.
A plan by a private group to put an "The Rai
6expansion team in a remodeled Los Rams didn
;Angeles Coliseum stalled when team is not
1league officials complained about a said.
lack of public funds for the project. He saide
0 The resolution, passed by a 9-5 for a team v
vote, stated that there would be no to billionair
new taxes, no increased taxes and no and "crumb
risk to the general tax fund commit- Ridley-T
Sed to bringing an NFL team to Los includes th
Angeles. other develi
a The resolution didn't address Staples Cen
future taxes on revenue that would the areas a
rbe generated by a team, and didn't that a rem
preclude using public money to NFL team
ncrease parking spaces at the the Coliseur
:Coliseum. NFL officials have said Ridlev-Tr
arking at the stadium is inadequate. an idea tha
Because negotiations with Los generated b
Angeles bogged down, Houston opposed to
apparently is the frontrunner for the help build a
league's 32nd franchise. "We are s
The NFL set a Sept. 15 deadline no new taxe
or a decision on the expansion team eral fund," R
ut league officials have said they Wachs di
Still intend to work on putting a team "They're
in Los Angeles in the future. taxes," he
The NFL could tell Houston to what's wron
egin building its stadium and Since the
*romise that city a team without des- negotiating
nating whether it would be the Coliseum, d
pansion team or an existing team. petition to o
hat would give groups competing Carson hasr
r a team in the Los Angeles area ture.
Whore time to work on their propos- A group
s. Marvin Dav
Councilman Mark Ridley- officials abo
ublic
team
'FL team to the Coliseum,
parking structure would
museums already in sur-
xposition Park.
nan Joel Wachs was the
ant supporter of the no-
resolution, saying the city
enefitted from the NFL
played in the Coliseum in
ders didn't do squat, the
't do squat, and a new
a going to do it," Wachs
contributing public funds
would mean "more profits
re owners" of NFL teams
s to the taxpayers."
homas, whose district
e Coliseum, noted that
opments such as the new
nter arena are improving
round them, and argued
odeled Coliseum and an
would do the same around
m.
homas has been pitching
t would use tax money
by an NFL team - as
present tax funds - to
parking structure.
aying no increased taxes,
es, no danger to the gen-
Ridley-Thomas said.
dn't like that idea, either.
talking about future
said. "That's exactly
g with this."
league, which had been
exclusively with the
ecided to open the com-
ther proposals, suburban
moved back into the pic-
The Los Angeles City Council opposed using public funds for an NFL team last Tuesday. The law stated that there would be no new taxes came about by bringing an NF
team to their city.
Texas Christian, Southern Methodista
abandon WAC, move to Conference USA
TCU, SMU, Rice used to be the celler dwellers of the now defunct Southwest Conference
headed by billion
is has spoken with IN
out building a stadiun
aire
NFL
m at
homas, who leads the attempt to Hollywood Park in Inglewood.
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FORT WORTH, Texas (U-WIRE)
- TCU, SMU and Rice spent
decades as bunkmates in the old
Southwest Conference.
Each won a SWC championship.
Each won a Cotton Bowl. And even
when the SWC broke up, "The
Three" pointed their ships in the
same direction. When the Western
Athletic Conference decided to
expand after the 1995 football sea-
son, TCU, SMU and Rice were
selected (along with a few other
schools) to join. Even when eight
schools defected from the WAC last
year, TCU, SMU and Rice stayed put.
This package proved very attrac-
tive to other conferences. WAC com-
missioner Karl Benson said he felt
this when the WAC was looking to
expand.
prominent. They also play in metro-
politan areas."
Like a package deal, "The Three"
went seemingly bound together for
decades more.
But as Bob Dylan once wrote,
"Times they are a changin"'. With
rumors flying about TCU and SMU
joining Conference USA, the tri-
umvirate of TCU, SMU and Rice
may be finished.
Chancellor Michael Ferrari said
the school has had informal conver-
sations and will continue to have
more formal discussions. SMU con-
firmed discussions as well. Rice has
been, well, rather silent about the
whole thing.
Rice.
"Why TCU and SMU's names have
come up and not some other institu-
tion, heck, I just don't know,"
Koehler said. "I don't have any
ideas."
Athletic Director Eric Hyman said
he is unaware of where Rice current-
ly stands.
"I don't know the thinking behind
Conference USA as far as Rice is
concerned," Hyman said. "We are
involved in the discussions as far as
TCU is concerned. We haven't
brought up other institutions."
Conference USA has come along
and might attempt to sever the con-
nection between "The Three."
why.
"I think the connection (betwece
"The Three") is more"the connector
between TCU and SMU," Benson
said. "By being linked from the same
metropolitan area and media center,
the chances of the two schools deliv-
ering the Dallas/Fort Worth market is
greater than Rice delivering the
Houston market. Despite smaller
enrollments and a smaller alumni
base, when packaged, (TCU and
SMU) have a better chance than th0
Rice in Houston."
This may be the end of the road for
TCU, SMU and Rice. The three ami-
gos, the great triumvirate, might take
separate paths but the tradition once
shared both in the SWC and WAC
will not be forgotten.
-i