The lines have grown long at airports and at stadiums from Boston to Los Angeles and from Miami to Seattle since Sept. 11.

	A Veterans Stadium security guard checks the bags of fans before the start of a Phillies game.

The age of terrorism in the United States not only has resulted in extra bag checks and personal searches of airline passengers and sports fans, but for airlines, teams and local stadium authorities -- charged with protecting their planes and facilities from a possible attack -- the costs of security have threatened to cut away at hard-earned revenues.

In the year since terrorists struck at the core of the country's economy, federal spending on domestic security will have doubled to more than $37 billion. And the cost for ensuring fan safety at sports venues designated National Special Security Events, such as the Super Bowl in New Orleans ($6 million) and the Winter Olympic in Salt Lake City ($300 million for the two-week event), account for part of that growing pool of funds.

So who's paying for all this protection?

Airline passengers have been assessed a $2.50 federal security surcharge on each leg of every flight. Perhaps some day soon, fans at sporting events might see similar fees attached to ticket prices. For now, at least, most are given a free pass.

Unlike the airline industry, the sports industry has remained largely untouched by the financial affects of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Attendance has remained steady or even risen for most professional and college basketball and football teams, and the turnstiles at Major League Baseball games turn with regularity again after its owners and players averted a work stoppage. But increased security costs and the doubling and even tripling of insurance premiums on stadiums and arenas are mounting.

"In business, there are just certain costs you just eat," said Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and co-owner of American Airlines Center. "Usually it's because they were unexpected and even though it costs you money, the demand aspect of pricing determines that you can't raise prices even if you wanted to. Pricing is far more a function of demand than it is of costs."

Lease agreements signed with local stadium authorities prior to the Sept. 11 attacks have protected most teams from increased security costs.

	Baseball fans, including this one at Safeco Field in Seattle, have endured long bag check lines before games.

Annual insurance costs went from $700,000 to $2.4 million at Giants Stadium, where the New York Giants and Jets play, but there was nothing in the team leases that required the teams to pay for an unexpected increase in maintaining the security of the venue. The Giants have signed through the 2026 season, while the Jets have seven more seasons remaining on their lease.

"It never gets to the fans because we're the ones that are eating those increased costs," said Dan Emmer, director of public affairs for the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, which owns Giants Stadium.

In Tampa Bay, the Tampa Sports Authority's insurance on Raymond James Stadium expires Oct. 1. It is looking for new insurance, but the Buccaneers won't be sharing in any increased cost -- at least not until after the 2026 season, when it's stadium lease expires.

Fans of the expansion Houston Texans might be helping foot the bill for new Reliant Stadium, with a $2 surcharge on tickets and a $1 tax on parking. For now, at least, there is no fee related to security cost increases, Texans spokesperson Brent Williamson said.

Teams shouldn't have to chip in for insurance or security premiums, says Bruce Sommer, director of the America's Center, which consists of the Edward Jones Dome and the nearby convention complex.

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Premiums for the dome and the immediate surrounding area rose from $1 million to $3 million because insurance coverage became a tougher buy after Sept. 11 and the stadium sits on the New Madrid Fault. Sommer said it's the landlord's responsibility to make sure that venue is protected.

"Even if the Rams weren't playing here, we'd still be paying for it," he said. Increased security costs were modest, Sommer said, since more changes were to reposition personnel rather than hiring additional personnel.

The leagues also have done their part to help teams deal with the new reality that their stadiums and arenas could be potential targets for a terrorist attack. Last year, the NFL Players Association agreed to reduce the Designated Gross Revenues (which ultimately helps determine the salary cap) by a maximum of $250,000 per team in order to ensure that team security is kept up to par.

Last season, the NBA spent "in the low seven figures" on investing in security personnel that would travel around with teams and be on the lookout at arenas, according to NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik.

"We've been happy that fans seem to appreciate what we've done," Granik said. "It never came up that we should charge them for it. It's really more the cost of doing business these days."

	Louisiana National Guardsmen stand watch outside the Superdome, where security before Super Bowl XXXVI was tight.

Joe Maloof, co-owner of the Sacramento Kings, said security costs "easily tripled" for the team this past season. The Kings paid for security training seminars, had police dogs checking Arco Arena before every home game for the first three months after Sept. 11 and even had security guards stationed outside of every entrance to the arena 24 hours a day.

"I'm not sure if we're going to continue doing the exact things we did last year, but I don't want to get lax," Maloof said.

Even if the Kings do continue to spend significantly more on security than ever before, Maloof said he doubts that fans will get hit with the charge.

"If we ever considered doing that, I'm sure we would charge exactly what the security costs us," Maloof said. "I know there's a temptation to mark it up and say it's for security, but we definitely wouldn't do that."

Even in New York, which took the brunt of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, fans haven't received a larger bill because of security or insurance costs. The Yankees and Mets were among 10 major-league teams that didn't raise ticket prices this season, while the Knicks won't be raising their prices for seats this upcoming season, a Knicks spokesman said.

The Washington Redskins and the Chicago Bears, two of the NFL teams that raised ticket prices this season, said the costs related to the events of Sept. 11 aren't the primary reason for the increase.

The Redskins raised ticket prices by $4 this season, which is attributed to increase in operating costs, said team spokesman Karl Swanson. The team will reportedly pay 20 to 25 percent more for stadium insurance this year, but Swanson said it would be inaccurate to say that the increase in operating expenses were largely due to the insurance and security costs.

The Bears had one of the largest ticket increases this year, but team spokesperson Scott Hagel said that it's due to the fact that the team's temporary home, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, has more sideline and less end-zone seats. "There's definitely more security than ever before," Hagel said, "but the fans have not had that cost passed on to them."

While it doesn't appear as if fans should expect to pay up, that doesn't mean the practice won't emerge in the event that another terrorist attack requires more security and causes insurance premiums to surge even higher.

"It's possible that fans will have to start paying for their safety at some point," said Kurt Hunzeker, editor of Team Marketing Report's Fan Cost Index, which regularly monitors the cost of attending sporting events. "But if it makes them more comfortable, I'm not sure they'll mind a small surcharge."

Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at darren.rovell@espnpub.com