In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Miami, Fila
claims that while Monica Seles "has remained out of tennis, the
company has lost more than $6 million from a promotional deal
gone fallow."  The company says it has "another dilemma:  As long
as the contract is in effect, it can't sign another woman pro."
Besides damages, the company also wants the court to determine
whether the contract which runs through '96 is still valid.  Fila
signed Seles in '90, and obtained the exclusive right to market
and promote a Monica Seles line of tennis products.  They claim
that tennis or no tennis, Seles "should have been making public
appearances to promote the clothing lines produced for this year
and next."  Fila went ahead with production of the line of
clothing because Seles' agent, Stephanie Tolleson of IMG, "made
several assurances that she would play."  It was not until April
of this year, the suit says, that Tolleson declared Seles had no
plans to return to pro tennis (David Lyons, MIAMI HERALD, 12/7).

     Attention sponsors:  the Jaguars are still trying to sell
the naming rights to the "Gator Bowl" to a corporate sponsor.  So
far no company has come forward with the $300,000-$1M a year
asking price (USA TODAY, 12/7)....Molson Breweries has lost a
court fight against John Labatt Ltd.'s use of "Winchester Gold"
for one of its beers.  Molson argued that the name was too
similar to Molson Golden, but the court said that Molson's
trademark did not extend to the word "gold" or "golden" (Toronto
GLOBE & MAIL, 12/7).... Quaker Oats has completed its $1.7B
tender offer for the shares of the Snapple Beverage Corp. (N.Y.
TIMES, 12/7).... Investor Warren Buffett said he has not decided
whether to remain on the board of USAir, but he did say that his
$385M investment in the company was a mistake (WASHINGTON POST,
12/7)....INSIDE MEDIA's "Ear" column notes SPORTS ILLUSTRATED's
launch of a new CD-ROM sponsored by De Beers diamond makers.
Targeting the disk to young men, "the interactive De Beers
messages on the disk help demystify the process of picking out a
diamond engagement ring."  But there are questions about the
popularity of anything titled "The Year in Sports, 1994" (COWLES
BUSINESS MEDIA, 12/6).

     Others in the media and basketball have joined Cavaliers GM
Wayne Embry in criticizing the Dennis Rodman/ Nike/Foot Action
ad.  In the spot, Rodman is shown physically threatening Santa
over his Christmas wish-list.  After listing Rodman's numerous
rules infractions last season, Santa relents when told by an elf
that he led the league in rebounds.  Rodman's former coach Chuck
Daly said the ad "is not one that makes him comfortable": "The
guy you see at the end of the commercial, the guy who's smiling,
that's the real Dennis Rodman.  You see, they played on the bad
side of him and showed you in the end what he's really all about,
that smile."  In New York, Mark Kriegel, who notes the spot was
produced by DDB Needham for Foot Action stores, calls Nike an
"accomplice":  "The real craziness here is the exploitation --
perhaps even glorification -- of Rodman's craziness" (N.Y. DAILY
NEWS, 12/7).  In Washington, Thomas Boswell writes, "This Nike
commercial galls me because the deceit at its center is so
typical of much that we peddle to kids in the same package with
music, movies and games" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/7).