Fila and Foot Locker are charter sponsors of a $1.2M school
backboard replacement program in New York City.  Mayor Rudolph
Giulani announced yesterday that, over the next three years, the
two companies will replace, refurbish, and maintain rims and
backboards at 625 NYC public schools.  The backboards will bear
the message "Winners Never Quit."  Giuliani:  "Putting up
backboards in school playgrounds is a wonderful way to help our
city's youngsters.  Fila and Foot Locker have created a public-
private partnership that works.  I hope it will inspire many
other corporations to create their own programs to help us make
New York City a better place to live."  Foot Locker VP & GM Larry
Remington:  "It's Foot Locker's responsibility to the community
to step up and help make a difference by offering a solution.
And as each lay-up and three-point shot is completed, it is our
hope that kids will walk away knowing that winners never quit and
carry that message with them throughout life."  Fila USA Senior
VP Jack Steinweis:  "We're excited to be part of this program
which helps improve the quality of life for kids in the New York
area" (THE DAILY).

     The Dallas-based Holden Production Group (HPG), "which
specializes in golf videos," has reached the 1 million mark in
sales "thanks to its latest project, 'The Little Green Video,'
with Austin golf guru Harvey Penick."  Mickey Holden, HPG founder
and president:  "We have the same type of rating and sales system
as records, so its a real milestone for us."  Holden has also
produced Ben Crenshaw's "The Art of Putting" and Penick's first
video, "The Little Red Video."  The Penick videos are
counterparts to his books, including "The Little Red Book"  --
which is "the best-selling sports book of all time."  Holden also
served as an independent contractor to produce the "Harvey
Pennick TV Special" on NBC in June, which "used special super-
slow motion filming techniques to show Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw
actually making contact [with] the ball from the tee, fairway,
and sand" (Matt McKay, DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 9/21).

     John Labatt Ltd. has signed a multi-million dollar, three-
year deal to become the exclusive sponsor of the Nottingham
Forest soccer club in Great Britain.  The deal makes Nottingham
"the first English soccer club to be sponsored exclusively by a
Canadian beer brand."  The team, "one of England's most famous
and successful soccer clubs," will play all of its games for the
next three years with the Labatt name emblazoned across its
jerseys.  The company also "is now the sole beer supplier" at
Nottingham's refurbished stadium.  David Radford, Labatt U.K.
marketing manager:  "Labatt is attempting to position itself as a
premium lager brand in Britain" (Peter Kennedy, FINANCIAL POST,
9/22).
     U.S. BEER INVASION CRITICIZED:  This morning's FINANCIAL
POST also reports that "a U.S. attempt to invade the lucrative
Quebec beer market has gone flat" according to Canadian market
analysts.  Michel Gadbois, Dir of the Quebec Association of Food
Retailers:  "Many retailers in Quebec are thinking of reducing or
eliminating their stock of American beer because the stuff simply
isn't selling."  Stroh Brewery Co. -- the 4th-largest in the U.S.
-- received permission last Spring from Quebec's liquor
commission to begin selling Old Milwaukee, Schlitz, and Red Bull
in grocery stores.  Since then the company has "picked up about
1.7 percent of the Quebec market."  Jacques Kavafian, analyst
with Levesque, Beaubien, Geoffrion:  "When a new beer comes onto
the Quebec market with the weight of somebody like Stroh behind
it, you'd think it would pick up a strong chunk of sales, but
Stroh did very little promotion up here and sales were flat."
Stroh VP Christopher Sortwell:  "We're in Canada and Quebec for
the long term" (FINANCIAL POST, 9/22)

     FROM THE SPORTS BUSINESS DAILY SOURCES:  The Sports Network
and In-Flight Phone Corporation have reached an agreement to
provide an advertiser-sponsored sports information service free
of charge to passengers on AmericaWest, Continental, and USAir.
The service is scheduled to be available early next
year....Players from the Lakers are participating in a
"shootathon" this morning to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of
Venice.  They will be joined by Peter Uberroth and CA Speaker of
the House, Willie Brown....The Mighty Ducks of Anahiem have
announced that the First Annual Mighty Ducks Golf Tournament to
benefit Disney GOALS will be held Oct. 10.  Profits from the
tournament will be donated to GOALS, which stands for "Growth
Opportunities through Athletics, Learning, and Service" -- a non-
profit program established this year by The Walt Disney Company
to create after-school and weekend hockey programs for less
privileged children (THE DAILY).
     FROM THE WASHINGTON POST -- THE MOUSE MOVES CLOSER:  On
Wednesday, Walt Disney "won two major victories" when Prince
William County planning commissioners voted 7-1 to grant zoning
approval for its proposed 3,000 acre theme park in Northern
Virginia.  Earlier in the day, the area's Transportation Planning
Board approved $130M in new roads to serve the park.  Tom Lewis,
Disney VP:  "Obviously it puts us closer" (Hsu & Fehr, WASHINGTON
POST, 9/22).

     Reds first baseman Tony Perez will lead a group of
instructors in a series of Nike-sponsored MLB clinics in the
Dominican Republic next month.  Perez:  "The Dominican Republic
has produced countless major league players, including many of
baseball's brightest stares today. I am excited to play a part in
helping the game grow in the Dominican Republic" (THE
DAILY)....Nike has proposed an All-Star game this fall for
striking MLB players, but still has to "strike a deal" with
players, the union, a TV network, and a stadium.  Ken Griffey,
Jr. says "it's good idea" ( "Sports Business Minute," CNBC,
9/26).  Proceeds from the game would go to charity
("SportsCenter," ESPN, 9/26). ...Cadbury Beverages and Hershey
Foods have joined forces to market a chocolate drink under
Hershey's name (George Lazarus, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/27)....Philip
Morris is considering removing its HQs and 2000 employees from
New York City if proposed smoking ban with the city cannot be
resolved ("Nightly Business Report," PBS, 9/26)....Reebok next
month will begin a online service called reebok.com which will
offer Internet users a forum to ask questions about products,
check out a calendar of upcoming sporting events and chat with
Reebok endorsers like Shaquille O'Neal and Nancy Kerrigan (AD
AGE, 9/26).

     ProServ has beefed-up its basketball division by acquiring
Sports Ventures, a Houston and Oklahoma City player rep firm that
counts as its clients Shawn Kemp, Nick Van Exel, Rik Smits,
Detlef Schrempf, Avery Johnson, and Donyell Marshall.  ProServ
Chair Donald Dell:  "Our acquisition of Sports Ventures adds
several great athletes   -- who are extremely marketable -- to
our existing clients and enhances our presence in basketball.
This acquisition will enable ProServ to make an even bigger
impact in NBA basketball."  Sports Ventures President Tony Dutt:
"It made sense for us to join ranks with ProServ for so many
reasons.  ProServ has successfully marketed its athletes for 25
years and our clients should benefit tremendously from the
experience and contacts of the ProServ team.  I look forward to
joining forces with them and look at this arrangement as
developing and growing very successfully over the long term."
Dutt will work out of ProServ's Arlington, VA, offices and his
partner, James Bryant, will work out of Oklahoma City (THE
DAILY).

     Two former Turner Broadcasting execs, Robert Hope and Paul
Beckham, have purchased Whittle Events and the Silver Bullets
professional woman's baseball team.  "Terms of the sale were not
disclosed, but Whittle Events had revenue of about $8M in the FY
ended June 30.  The Silver Bullets generate about $3.5M
annually."  Whittle Events also does Olympic marketing for Coca-
Cola, manages the Coors Light Silver Bullet promotion, and is
working with Mercedes Benz to develop a theme park.  The company
will be renamed Hope-Beckham, Inc., and will move to Atlanta.
Hope started Whittle Events with Chris Whittle and launched the
Silver Bullets three years ago; he also served as VP of the
Braves and Hawks.  Beckham served as senior finance officer,
chief administrative officer, and president of Turner Cable
Network Sales.  Hope:  "We cracked the code on how to make this
work" (Charles Haddad, ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 9/22).
     CLUB MED:  This morning's WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that
Hope and Beckham "are negotiating with investors -- including an
unnamed 'big cable TV-player' -- about starting a Mediterranean
Baseball League comprised of six to eight professional women's
baseball teams."  They also say they are talking with television
networks about broadcasting deals (Anita Sharpe, WALL STREET
JOURNAL, 9/22).

     According to Jo McIntyre in this week's ADVERTISING AGE,
corporate sponsors of the Iditarod -- such as Iams and Timberland
-- are "nervous about controversy" stemming from complaints by
animal-rights activists and "are backing away."  Byran Brown,
Communications Dir for Iams, which contributed $175,000 in money
and dog food this year:  "Rather than continue to ask for major
changes in the current format of the Iditarod sled dog race, it
is in the best interest of all concerned that Iams Co. withdraw
from active sponsorship of the race."  Timberland, which has a
$1M involvement in this year's race, is "weighing whether to
sponsor next year's race."  Jay Steere, Timberland Senior Manager
of Events and Promotions:  "We are disappointed (about the
dispute between activists and the race committee) because we
think the nucleus of the Iditarod, the idea of man and woman
going on an equal basis against the elements, is a powerful story
and one we feel helps us position our brand in a positive way."
Stan Hooley, Exec Dir of the Iditarod Committee:  "Timberland
understands the value of sponsorship of this event for them.  The
dilemma is how difficult are these special interests groups going
to make it for us" (Jo McIntyre, AD AGE, 9/26 issue).
     ATTENTION MILLER BREWING -- FISH HAVE RIGHTS, TOO:  Ray
Scott, founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, wants
Miller Brewing to stop airing its "Bass Ball" commercials, which
feature players "hurling what appears to be a largemouth bass
from base to base."  Scott:  "For 25 years, we've been trying to
get people to respect this fish, and here we have people slapping
a bass across a man's face, throwing it around the bases.  Wonder
if they'd be willing to film a commercial with somebody throwing
a kitten or a poodle puppy? ... I want Miller to get off our
bass" (Gene Mueller, WASHINGTON TIMES, 9/26).

     Triarc Companies Inc., which owns Royal Crown Cola and
Arby's, is spending $525M in cash for Long John Silver's
Restaurants Inc.  "The deal will create a company with a combined
4,200 restaurants, generating more than $2.5B in annual system-
wide sales."  Nelson Peltz, Triarc Chair/CEO:  "The proposed
addition of Long John Silver's nearly 1,450 locations to our
existing system of 2,700 Arby's restaurants will propel us
overnight to the top tier in the quick-service restaurant
industry" (AP/WASHINGTON TIMES, 9/22).
     DUAL-BRANDING, THE NEXT WAVE:  "Triarc will try to turn the
acquisition into a venture that would be the most ambitious
attempt at fast-food dual branding" -- which is "the retailing of
two separate brands from the same restaurant outlet."  Don
Pierce, head of Triarc's restaurant group:  "Multiple branding is
the next wave in the restaurant business" (Glenn Collins, N.Y.
TIMES, 9/22).
     OR IS IT?  According to this morning's WALL STREET JOURNAL,
"not everyone in the restaurant industry is so enamored of the
multiple-restaurant approach."  PepsiCo has tested several three-
in-one and two-in-one restaurant locations across the country,
"with less-than-overwhelming results" (Emory Thomas, WALL STREET
JOURNAL, 9/22).

     In a recent interview with Michelle Himmelberg of THE ORANGE
COUNTY REGISTER, Tony Tavares, President of Disney Sports
Enterprises, stated his commitment to making the Mighty Ducks
"America's team in hockey," confirmed Disney's interest in other
professional sports teams -- especially for Orlando or Anaheim --
 and discussed corporate ownership as the next wave in the sports
industry.  Excerpts follow:
     TAVARES ON DISNEY SPORTS EXPANSION:  "The specific vision is
to get involved in more sports, but it has to be the right
circumstances for us to get involved.  We're what I would call a
very fussy company about the kind of deals we get involved in.
We have high expectations and high requirements in regards to
return on our investments."
     TAVERES ON TEAM LOCATION:  "Either Orlando or Anaheim would
be levels of high interest, or any place where we have a park or
might have a park.  This company is very big on synergy and
looking at ways to cross-fertilize the company.  It makes more
sense to own a team in a city where we have a park than, in say,
Green Bay."
     TAVARES ON CORPORATE OWNERSHIP:  "Frankly, when you start
looking at the levels of economics we're at in sports, the old
entrepreneurial guy that owned the 40 car lots, or the guy who
was the wildcatter in oil, those people just don't exist with the
kind of capital that it takes to get involved in sports."
     TAVARES ON THE NHL'S FUTURE:  "The key issue in hockey is we
haven't reached our maturity yet.  I've been critical of hockey
in the past for not being strategic in anything it did.  That
changed when Gary Bettman came on board.  I believe he's a
strategic thinker with a mandate from the owners to grow the
business" (Michelle Himmelberg, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 9/25).

     According to Bernadette Mansur, NHL VP of Corporate
Communications, NHL merchandise sales surpassed $1B last season
and the Mighty Ducks out-sold every pro team in North America.
Mansur:  "While the industry is fairly saturated, we as a sport
are not saturated and retailers are looking to us for fresh, new
merchandise."  Here are the top 10 most popular NHL teams in
terms of merchandise sales:  (1) Mighty Ducks; (2) Panthers; (3)
Blackhawks; (4) Penguins; (5) Sharks; (6) Maple Leafs; (7)
Canadiens; (8) Red Wings; (9) Bruins; (10) Kings.  In '93
merchandise sales were $3.8B in MLB and $2.5B in the NFL (Dave
Fuller, TORONTO SUN, 9/27).
     NBA FIGURES STILL COMING IN:  Peter Land, NBA Dir of
Marketing Communications, told THE SPORTS BUSINESS DAILY this
morning that the league estimates merchandise sales during '93-94
season will approach approximately $2.9B, with $350M coming from
overseas (THE DAILY).
     OTHER NBA NEWS -- ADS TO TARGET CONSUMERS:  According to AD
AGE's "Last Minute News" column, the NBA will break an $8M, two-
tiered TV campaign that will continue the "I Love This Game"
promotion and launch an "I Love This Stuff" consumer pitch for
NBA-licensed products.  The campaign comes from Berlin Wright
Cameron Dolye (AD AGE, 9/26).