The HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS are the subjects of a possible
movie and Broadway musical.  GAIL STAYDEN is producing a musical
based on Globetrotter founder ABE SAPERSTEIN's life called
"Hoopz," which has a score written by SMOKEY ROBINSON.  MANNIE
JACKSON, who is producing the untitiled movie about the team, on
the project: "Basketball is a multimillion-dollar global
industry.  It is the best managed and most viable sport from both
an entertainment and economic standpoint" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE,
3/3)....KEN DERRETT was named Dir of Marketing for Sponsorships &
Media Programs for the Canadian Arm of NBA Properties.  Derrett
comes from Labatts, where he was manager of sports properties
(NBA)....  CA Public Employees' Retirement System announced that
it has approved a $50M investment in real estate venture with
MAGIC JOHNSON (BLOOMBERG BUSINESS NEWS/N.Y. POST, 3/3)....JAY
FEE, the Boston attorney that represents CAM NEELY among others,
has moved from Mahoney Hawkes & Goldings to Tillinghast Collins &
Graham, where he will head a new sports management corporation
(BOSTON HERALD, 3/2)....67-year-old GORDIE HOWE was drafted by
the Motor City Mustangs in the tenth round of the Roller Hockey
Int'l draft.  Howe: "When kids are involved, I get involved.  So
yeah, I'll probably put the blades on then" (DETROIT FREE PRESS,
3/2)....MICHAEL JORDAN, asked if he would play in a game with
other retired legends against current NBA All-Stars: "Yeah, just
for the fun and love of it, not for business or making money.
The game has become too commercialized" (SPORT, 3/95 issue).

     Greg McElroy was recently named President of the new IHL
club in L.A.  McElroy, a native of L.A., has spent the past four
seasons as VP of Marketing with the L.A. Kings.  Fred Comrie,
owner of the IHL San Diego Gulls, will finish out this season in
San Diego and then move his team to the L.A. Sports Arena.
Yesterday, THE SPORTS BUSINESS DAILY spoke with McElroy about his
plans for the team and his hopes for the league.  Excerpts
follow:
     THE DAILY: What enticed you to leave a successful major
league franchise like the Kings to do what you are doing now?
What attracted you about the IHL?
     MCELROY:  We had really reached the pinnacle at the Kings as
far as corporate sponsorships are concerned, maxed out is the way
we put it.  Our radio was sold out, our signage was sold out, our
print was as close to sold out as possible.  I needed a new
challenge, and I thought what better place to start than in my
own hometown where my contacts are, with the ability to start
from scratch. ... Also, as a lot of NBA owners have proven by
getting involved, it is a league to be with right now as far as
growth.  I left a very good situation in the NHL because I
believe so much in what the IHL has to offer, and I wanted to be
part of it.
     THE DAILY:  How will this IHL team fit into the L.A. market?
Is the market big enough for three teams?
     MCELROY:  Absolutely, and that was really the biggest
question I had about making the transition from the NHL to the
IHL.  I did a lot of research, I talked to a lot of different
people, from sponsors to fans to people on the hockey side,
asking 'Can a third team make it?'  I think it can.  One, hockey
is exploding in Southern California.  It is no accident that the
Ducks are a tremendous success, and I think it has to do with
Gretzky.  It all started with Wayne coming to town six years ago.
Rinks are being built all over Southern California and they are
sold out 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  People can't get
enough of the sport.  Second, we all know the prices of a ticket
to go to the Ducks and the Kings games.  Well, for the lowest
price Colonnade (the lowest upper level) seat at the Forum, they
can get one of the better seats at our games.  A family of four
will be able to come to one of our games for the price of one
loge ticket at the Forum.  It is not only affordable, but it is
going to be quality family entertainment as well.
     THE DAILY: How does the league balance the competing factors
of having a major league product with quality players and keeping
your prices affordable?
     MCELROY: One of the reasons why the league has done so well
in the last couple of years is that we have controlled expenses.
Through player costs and management costs, we have kept it
manageable.  We don't have to pass on these tremendous jumps in
our expenses to our fans.
     THE DAILY:  What do you plan with corporate community?
     MCELROY:  We have received a lot of positive feedback from a
variety of sponsors already that are very interested in joining
forces with us, primarily because we are going to go after a
different market than the Kings and the Ducks.  Instead of big
corporations owning blocks of tickets, we are going to have
families owning those tickets.  So, we are going to design
campaigns for our sponsors to maximize their exposure to these
families and do various programs.
     THE DAILY:  Will the IHL ever compete with the NHL for star
players?
     MCELROY: No, I can't see in the foreseeable future that we
compete for the Wayne Gretzky's of the world.  That would defeat
everything that the IHL has worked so hard to accomplish.  The
whole thing is to keep ticket prices down, and when you are
paying millions of dollars to a player you are going to pass
those expenses to the fans and to the sponsors. ... There is a
large enough market out there satisfied with seeing our brand of
hockey at affordable prices that we don't need to do that.
     THE DAILY: Will the league be able to survive if the NHL
pulls its developmental relationships with the IHL?
     MCELROY:  Absolutely, because I think players want to play
in the markets the IHL has teams in, they want to be involved --
especially with all the new owners that are coming into the
league.  The Detroit Pistons now own a team, the Orlando Magic
has just committed to a team for next season.  These are some big
league owners and we play in big league cities across the
country.  What player wouldn't want to play in front of 20,000 in
Detroit?  What player wouldn't want to play in front of 14,000
here in Los Angeles?
     THE DAILY:  How can a pro ice hockey team take advantage of
the boom in in-line skating?
     MCELROY:  That is important here in Southern California, and
there are a lot of different things we can do.  We might want to
do a deal with the L.A. Blades and have some of the same players
that play for the Blades play for our team, and so fans become
accustomed and follow their favorite players.