MAGIC'S MARKETING GURU THRIVES IN CIRCUS ATMOSPHERE

     Cari Coats, the VP of Marketing and Administration for the
Magic, is profiled by Gene Yasuda of the ORLANDO SENTINEL.  Coats
sees the game as "a carnival.  At least that's the kind of
atmosphere we're trying to create."  Yasuda writes to purists,
Coats' strategy is "blasphemy.  It sparks critics who say the
Magic are just another example of NBA marketing excess."  Coats:
"I respect and appreciate the perspective of the die-hard fan,
but we're in this to sell tickets."  Coats has "devised a plan to
make just about everyone happy," including the Sports Magic Team,
"All-Star Ushers," and the Magic Youth Foundation.  Yasuda writes
that "many of the league's 27 teams have copied Coats' theatrics,
paying respect to one of a few women in the league who holds a
senior management position" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 6/18).
          TONE IT DOWN:  One league official reportedly pulled
     the O-rena's "perpetually annoying" PA announcer aside
     before Game 2 "and quietly but firmly suggested he tone his
     act down" (Jackie MacMullan, BOSTON GLOBE, 6/18).