Curtis Management CEO Mark Roesler is profiled in the
"Entrepreneur" section in the current BUSINESS WEEK.  Roesler
"has emerged as the enfant terrible of a growing global niche
market -- enforcing exclusive merchandising rights on the use of
dead legends in ads and promotions."  The sport personalities
Roesler handles include Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Vince Lombardi and
Joe Louis.  Before signing with Roesler, Julia Ruth Stevens, the
77-year old daughter of the Babe, never made any money off her
father's name.  In '95, the 100th anniversary of Ruth's birth,
his estate will earn close to $1M, of which Roesler will keep
40%-50%.  With his business going global, Roesler is in the
process of changing the company name to CMC Worldwide.  With a
network of 35,000 contacts, and a "state-of-the-art computer
system, he's raising an international ruckus, particularly in
Asia, where intellectual property rights aren't well defended"
(Douglas Harbrecht, BUSINESS WEEK, 5/8 issue).

     Although in-line skating "is one of the fastest growing
sports," it is "not an easy play for investors," according to
this morning's N.Y. TIMES.  Rollerblade, the industry market
leader, is a private company, but Minneapolis-based First Team
Sports "offers nearly a pure play in skate, but raises this
question:  Is there more room for its stock to appreciate?"
First Team has about 14% of the market, and analysts who
recommend the company's stock say it is in a good position to
"continue to benefit from skating's popularity."  First Team
shares reached a high of $26 six weeks ago, on sales of more than
$85.5M.  Mark Leslie, a leisure and entertainment analyst for
Dain Bosworth, a Minneapolis brokerage firm, believes the company
will see 30% sales growth to $108M (Andrea Adelson, N.Y. TIMES,
5/1).
     NIHA SIGNS UP A PAIR: The National In-Line Hockey
Association (NIHA) announced that Houston-based Oshman's Sports
Goods and Supersports USA have become members of the NIHA
Preferred Retailer Program.  NIHA also signed a sponsorship
agreement with stick manufacturer Power-Flite Corp.  The
agreement will allow Power-Flite to promote their aluminum sticks
at the NIHA league level (NIHA).

     L.A. Gear "walked away" from a proposed merger with women's
shoe maker Ryka, "blaming the company's expected losses in the
first two quarters of this year," according to the BOSTON GLOBE.
Some analysts saw the move signaling "the beginning of the end of
Ryka."  Ryka Founder Sheri Poe, while "disappointed the merger
didn't work," expressed "hope the company could be saved" by
other parties.  L.A. Gear had offered $16.4M in cash and stocks,
but many workers at Ryka were "relieved the deal was off" as they
didn't want to move to CA.  In addition, Ryka "workers have
become increasingly resentful toward Poe, whom they blame for
poor management" (Tina Cassidy, BOSTON GLOBE, 4/29).  Poe said
that without a new investor or "cash infusion" the company can
only remain in business for about two more months (Pereir & King,
WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/1).  L.A. Gear's efforts to "rebuild its
women's business suffered a setback" with the collapse of the
deal.  Although the company has lost money in each of the last
four years, L.A. Gear President William Benford "is optimistic"
that sales of the women's line will improve.  L.A. Gear was "hurt
by a foray" into men's athletic shoes.  That strategy ended with
a refocus on women's and children's shoes.  SPORTING GOODS
INTELLIGENCE Publisher John Horan: "Competing against Nike and
Reebok is pretty difficult to do.  They see in women's fashion,
in Valley-girl type shoes, much more opportunity" (Denise
Gellene, L.A. TIMES, 4/29).
     TEVAS FOR SALE?  The growth of Deckers Outdoor (DECK) has
been due in large part to their Teva sports sandal, examined in
this week's BUSINESS WEEK.  Revenues will jump to $105M this
year, from $85M in '94, and one New York money manager speculates
if Deckers "sustains its fast growth," either Nike or Reebok "may
gobble it up as a quick way to step into sandals" (Gene Marcial,
BUSINESS WEEK, 5/8 issue).

     The Orioles started the season 0-3, before winning on
Saturday and Sunday with their new gray caps.  Baltimore's SUN
Ken Rosenthal:  "The trend starts here.  Gray power" (Baltimore
SUN, 4/30)....In Denver, local stars Mike Pritchard, Bruce
Ruffin, Brian Fisher, Mike Croel, Steve Sewell, Mike Horan, Steve
Kelly, Mark Wiebe and Jay Humpries are investors in Stars Sports
Garden, a sports bar near Coors Field (Stars Sports
Garden)....Coors moves into national distribution of its Zima
Gold, an amber-colored beverage that has been test-marketed in
Tucson and Omaha (George Lazarus, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/1)....Eagle
Snacks has targeted their latest promotional campaign toward
males 18-34, particularly basketball and baseball fans.  The
baseball focus will be on Eagle Ballpark Style Peanuts, with a
tie-in to Upper Deck cards (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/1).....
America West, with nine straight profitable quarters after
emerging from Chapter 11 protection last August, is profiled in
this morning's USA TODAY.  America West executives say their
"comeback is real" (USA TODAY, 5/1).

     NFL Properties and NBC Sports have kicked off a partnership
to support the NFL's annual freestanding insert program,
according to INSIDE MEDIA.  The partnership "will benefit from a
'Watch and Win' promotional overlay" on NBC's NFL Live pregame
show.  NBC's tie-in with America's Favorites, a Sunday paper
insert scheduled to be delivered to 47 million homes on October
1, will ask viewers to watch "NFL Live" to see if they have the
winning symbol.  The winner will receive a trip for six to Super
Bowl XXX.  NBC will begin backing the promotion with on-air
announcements starting September 17, and NFL Properties will
"develop a trade marketing campaign, featuring ad and display
contests, point-of-sale materials, ticket and entertainment
packages and custom trade brochures" (INSIDE MEDIA, 4/29).
"Watch and Win" is part of a two-year agreement between the NFL
and NBC, "which beat out fellow NFL broadcaster TNT in securing
promotional partnership" (Terry Lefton, BRANDWEEK, 5/1).

     Ogden Corp. reported net income for the three months ended
March 31 of $12.3M, down from $13.8M for the same period in '94.
Ogden President & CEO Richard Ablon cited the "late start" of the
baseball and hockey seasons as one reason.  With both sports now
playing, Ogden said they expect earnings to show "significant
improvement in the third and fourth quarters of this year"
(Ogden).

     The successful logos of the Grizzlies and Raptors are
examined this morning by Solange De Santis in the WALL STREET
JOURNAL.  "History suggests" that once the teams start playing,
sales will slow, but the two Canadian teams "may be a special
case" as Canada's popularity as a tourist destination could keep
sales high.  De Santis notes that other NBA teams wants to cash
in on the merchandise wave, and the Timberwolves may change their
logo to increase sales (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/1).

     Snickers has signed an agreement with FIFA to be the
"Official Snackfood Sponsor" of the '98 World Cup in France.
Last year, Snickers was a World Cup USA official sponsor.
Marlene Machut, a spokesperson for Snickers' parent company,
M&M/Mars, said that signing up for the next World Cup renews
their "commitment to soccer."  Snickers' soccer presence includes
a 20-year commitment to the U.S. Youth Soccer National
Championships, sponsorship of the Women's World Championships in
Sweden, the FIFA World Championships in Qatar, the '96 European
Soccer Championships in England, and the Under-17 World
Championships in Ecuador (World Cup).

     The ad campaign of the Atlanta Ruckus, of the new soccer A-
League, is examined by the ATLANTA CONSTITUTION.  The Ruckus
began running commercials on Atlanta radio "bashing baseball for
its crybaby players and prima-donna owners," and their next ad
will have a "jab" at the Falcons.  The ad campaign was created by
Joe Babbitt of Atlanta-based agency, 360.  One of the radio spots
begins with a "kid-of-the-future" asking his dad about a stick he
found in a garage.  The father explains the stick is a bat, "used
long ago in a once-popular game called baseball."  The kid:  "If
baseball was so popular dad, how come I never heard of it?"
Father:  "That is the crazy part.  The players and owners made
billions of dollars, but it wasn't enough.  So the players went
on strike, and the fans went away, and baseball did, too."
Another ad: "Players and owners, while you were away, fans
discovered a new pastime.  No crybaby players, no prima-donna
owners. ... Ruckus soccer, it's the pastime of the future" (Tim
Tucker, ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 4/27).