Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 2

FINAL A2 The Arizona Republic Wednesday, March 20, 1991 Valley tteowm for $175 million lo The loss will have far-reaching consequences on the economy that are not limited to expenditures during game week, said Randy Gross, assistant to Tempe Mayor Harry Mitchell. played in Tempe's Sun Devil Stadium. He said the publicity the city would nave received on national television, would have had a ripple effect on the city economy's because of the tourism Brooks said this will be the second hit the state has taken on the King controversy. The first came when the holiday was rejected by voters. He said the Pointe Resorts the company operates three in Phoenix have lost many bookings as a result of convention cancellations due to the first holiday controversy, as well as untold bookings from people who simply eliminated Arizona as a vacation destination because of the controversy.

Pope, a senior vice president of Valley National Bank, pointed out that visitors to the area pay hotel-room taxes and retail-sales taxes. "These are major contributions to the infrastructure," he said. "And the money they spend gets out into the community, from the hotels and restaurants to their suppliers, and so on. It creates business in the it might have generated later and the tive vice president of the Arizona Hotel Motel Association. "We're scrambling to fill those rooms with other business.

We won't let this ruin us. We still have the same scenery, the same climate. "Our members feel like victims of something beyond their control. And we're not racially insensitive. That's what hurts." But the big issue isn't the loss of revenues from the Super Bowl itself, said Bob Brooks, senior vice president and managing director of the Pointe Resorts Inc.

"It's a large issue, and it's true we'll never get the kind of dollars we get from a Super Brooks said. "But the bigger issue is what we will lose as a result of the adverse publicity regarding the Martin Luther King holiday controversy. We'll be on the front page of every paper across the country again." general-merchandise stores such as mart, Wal-Mart, Dillard's, Sears and Robinson's in January in Arizona. You might be able to buy Arizona Center, the new development in downtown Phoenix with two high-rises and a shopping and entertainment facility, for that amount Or you could land the Arizona Biltmore, the grand dame of the state's resorts, two times over for that much money. Hurt most will be the hospitality industry, already suffering from a sluggish economy and other repercussions from voters' rejection in November of a paid state holiday for the Rev.

Martin Luther King Jr. The rejection of the holiday was the reason that the NFL owners yanked the Super Bowl. "It's obviously a loss; it's discouraging," said Margaret Walker, execu Community 'riiissed a rare opportunity' By Alan Thurber and Jean Novotny The Arizona Republic Don't look now, but the Phoenix area just lost $175 million. That's a conservative estimate of the impact on the area that the Super Bowl would have had in 1993. The National Football League owners voted Tuesday at a meeting in Hawaii to rescind a decision made in March to give the game to Phoenix.

An estimated 83,000 out-of-towners would have come for the game and the parties and the excitement. They would have spent $175 million on hotel rooms, food, drink, rental cars, souvenirs, other shopping, entertain ment and various other services. "It's certainly a disappointment" said N.W. "Red" Pope, a member of the Phoenix '93 Super Bowl Committee and chairman of the Phoenix Valley of the Sun Convention Visitors Bureau. "We've missed a rare opportunity.

We're not going to get an infusion of dollars we need, that would benefit the whole area." According to Larry Hilliard, a vice president of the visitors bureau, the NFL had estimated the economic impact at $200 million. "That's not unrealistic," said Pope, "but I'm comfortable with a more conservative $175 million. We took the San Diego figures from 1988 ($136 million) and adjusted for inflation and other factors." How much is $200 million? That's about what was spent at all the economic-development opportunities it would have provided. While in town for the game, Gross said, executives might make decisions on locating their businesses. Cities vie for the Super Bowl for two reasons: the immediate economic benefit and the long-term impact of the media exposure.

Phoenix is losing twice. It will not get the money, and it already is feeling the impact of the national exposure. Super Bowl pulled SUPER BOWL, from page At III IIWIUMIIMIIIWIWIIIWIHIWHIIIJI lllll I III I HMIWHIMIIHnMHMMHIMI ni UNTO! r'-W' fXKl Iff -4sr tT; Afl a zfuf I HoL, -SS Kl; -s-yd Shi 1 jfM 4p" i 5 LVVA' i rr i i 1 I I -1 rtjL I rri lJ ft us Ld Phoenix committee members had said before Tuesday's vote that they wouldn't accept a "deal" for the 1996 game because of possible linkage of that game to the 1992 referendum. Shover said that "no deal was made" and that he isn't worried that the two issues will be linked. "We didn't bring it (the Super Bowl) into the campaign last time, and we don't plan to bring into the campaign this time, either," he said.

NFL officials wouldn't disclose the results of Tuesday's vote, but a source inside the meeting said the owners began considering the compromise because Bidwill couldn't muster more than six votes. "There was a lot of sympathy for the situation," Bidwill said. Tagliabue decided before the start of the meeting that a three-quarters majority vote 21 of 28 votes would be needed to take the game away from Phoenix. Tagliabue, who recommended that the game be played elsewhere, had been considering requiring only a simple majority to move the game. Photos by John SamoraThe Arizona Republic Randy O'Dell, 33, says it's "ridiculous" to take away Super Bowl '93 from Arizona.

"It should be Losing the game, says Robert Tew, 25, together with the "AzScam" political-corruption probe here. (The NFL) shouldn't be bringing politics to sports. I just don't see tying politics to sports." "and everything else going on, it's just one more thing for people to laugh at Arizona for." Fans angered, frustrated by vote FANS, from page A 1 Luther King Jr. However, he added, because the "I think the three-quarters requirement was a wise decision on the league's part because that's what we understood the bylaws called for," said C.A. Howlett, vice chairman of the Phoenix committee.

"To do something else would have been a further manipulation of the process that would not have been well-received." Bidwill, who had led a three-hour fight in the meeting to save the game for Phoenix, credited a weekend conversation between Tagliabue and Arizona Gov. Fife Symington for getting the Valley the 1996 game. "Governor Symington influenced the commissioner to consider giving a preliminary bid to Phoenix for the '96 game," Bidwill said. "I'm very grateful for the commissioner's decision on behalf of Phoenix and for Governor Symington explaining the political situation in Arizona, which is now positive." Bidwill said he became aware of the compromise halfway through Tues-' day's meeting. "I was attempting to keep the 93 game in place," he said.

"When it became apparent that was not going to occur, the commissioner brought up (the 1996 game). This was the best we could do today." Despite being the first metropolitan area to have a Super Bowl removed, Phoenix '93 officials were pleased with the outcome. "It's a victory for Phoenix," Shover said. Phoenix committee members were scheduled to make a 20-minute presentation to the owners Tuesday beginning at 5 p.m. But the meeting began 45 minutes late.

In the delegation were Shover; Howlett; Junius Bowman, executive director of the Phoenix chapter of the Urban League; and David Radcliffe, president of the Phoenix Valley ofi the Sun Convention Visitors Bu-; reau. NFL has only one black head coach and no black owners, "they opened themselves up for criticism on affirmative action." "Maybe by pulling the game in 93 and offering it back in '96, it will give both the league and the state plenty of time to get their respective acts together," Whitmer said. Sen. Dennis DeConcini, gize for," he said. "And, candidly, their position has changed very little during this whole process." Johnson also said he has been told that the reason the 1996 Super Bowl award is tentative is that it still is tied to the King holiday issue.

Some sports fans at various restaurants at the Arizona Center in downtown Phoenix were disappointed with the loss of the Super Bowl. Sharon Knerr, 25, of Phoenix, said, "I don't think it's right They are two separate things. They shouldn't be tied together." Robert Tew, 25, of Mesa, a restaurant manager, agreed. With the "AzScam" political-corruption probe "and everything else going on, it's just one more thing for people to laugh at Arizona for," Tew said Randy O'Dell, 33, a waiter, said, "I think it's ridiculous. It should be here.

They shouldn't be bringing politics to sports. I just don't see tying politics to sports." There were some dissenting King holiday," Symington said. "But that happened before I was on the scene, so we'll just have to live with the result." Symington said he thinks the state's chances for being host of the 1996 Super Bowl are "probably very good" because, by then, "I presume we will have a Martin Luther King holiday." Former Gov. Evan Mecham, who revoked a King holiday established by then-Gov. Bruce Babbitt, said the NFL is continuing to play politics in Arizona.

"The conditions are that we pass a paid Martin Luther King state holiday," Mecham said. "They're still involved in Arizona politics. They have no class at alL" Julian Sanders, who led a referendum drive against a King holiday, agreed that the NFL is interfering and said he is concerned that the intrusion into state politics will continue. "I will not be intimidated," Sanders said. "It will not be a part of my voting on the issue.

I refuse to allow anyone to blackmail me. My position remains exactly constant. I'm for human rights and equality for alL The right thing is to disregard the Super BowL My position is to stand firm and disregard it" Steve Roman, co-chairman of the MLK Better America Committee, which is campaigning to get a King holiday in Arizona, said he is not sure the NFL owners' decision will have an effect "We want to completely separate the issue of having a Martin Luther King holiday in this state from having a Super Bowl in this state," Roman said. "One should have nothing to do with the other." He said his main concern is getting the holiday passed by voters in a referendum vote in November 1992. Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson said that despite the decision, the city and Arizona have nothing to apologize for.

"On the other hand, I think the NFL does have something to apolo voices. Denise Bithos, who used to live in Phoenix but now lives in San Diego, is looking forward to the game. "Basically, yeah, I'd like to see it moved to San Diego," she said. "But if it originally was supposed to be here, why not keep it here?" Rolj Holmgren, 38, of Milwaukee, was enthusiastic about the game moving. "I'd rather see it in Milwaukee," he said.

Although Milwaukee officially has no NFL team, the Green Bay Packers play several games there. The NFL owners decided to award the 1993 Super Bowl to Pasadena, Calif. They had been considering San Diego and Los Angeles, too, but not Milwaukee. "Phoenix just came into the league a few years ago," Holmgren said. "They should wait in line, like everybody else." Contributing to this article were Don Harris, Martin Van Der Werf, Glen Law and Jim Walsh of The Arizona Republic said, "I was disappointed, of course, that a double standard has been applied.

It's all right for the NFL not to honor Dr. King, but it's not all right for Arizona. They say it's not linked, but it's pretty clear to me that it's linked they didn't give it to us." Gov. Fife Symington said he never expected that Arizona would get the Super Bowl when he took office. "It's an unfortunate happen stance.

I thought it was a great mistake to tie it to the Martin Luther Human Resources. 271-8672 Public RelationsTours. 271-8662 Classified billing 271-8574 Weatherline. 957-8700 All other departments. 271-8000 To contact MesaTcmpe office: News.

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Glcndalc office: News. TODAY'S PRAYER Serenity through you. Lord, is needed as we seek wisdom in this troubled world. Amen. TODAY'S CHUCKLE Some doctors call pregnancy "the Egyptian flu" because it means the patient is going to be a mumuy.

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High 66, low 48. Tuesday: high 66, low 58; humidity, high 80 percent, low 29 percent A16. Weathcrline 957-8700 The Arizona Republic (ISSN 0892471 1) (USPS 030-920) Published every morning by Phoenix Newspapers, Inc. 120 E. Van Buren.

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