Publicly financed sports stadiums are not only a drain on taxpayers, they don't live up to the economic development promises of their promoters, virtually every reputable economist attests. Yet Connecticut's governor and legislature are moving swiftly to approve a deal for a new stadium in Hartford that sports experts think will be the biggest giveaway in the history of professional sports.

The state plans to spend as much as $1 billion on the project to thank the New England Patriots football team for leaving Boston. But for all the political haste, there are a host of problems to be solved and questions to be answered.

• Despite the $1 billion figure, no one really knows what the facility would cost, where it will go or when it will be finished.

• Not a single parking space is included in the budget, and the land where officials would like to put the stadium is polluted with coal tar.

• The Patriots would use the stadium rent-free in return for a 10 percent tax on tickets -- but the state and its taxpayers would guarantee up to $17.5 million a year for luxury boxes and club seats which go unsold.

• The deal promises to raise instantly the value of the Patriots by $100 million because of the deal's favorable terms -- but the state's projection of its own profits stands at $3 million over the 30-year term of the deal.

Moreover, the state would pay for the team's property insurance, would give the team catering rights for University of Connecticut games which are played in the stadium and would throw in $15 million for a practice center to be located elsewhere in the state. The state has promised to make any road improvements necessary so that the stadium could be cleared in one hour or less. And while the team gets all the advertising revenues, the state gets all the bills for major stadium repairs.

The plan is to come before the legislature on Dec. 15. So far, only about 12 of the state's 186 legislators have indicated they will vote against it.

Source: Mike Allen, "Closer Look Raises Questions Over Patriots' Stadium Deal," New York Times, December 4, 1998.