SOME SPONSORS LOOKING TO WOMEN'S SPORTS TO BOOST RETURN

     The movement of corporate sponsorship dollars to women's
sports is examined by Paul Davis in this morning's PROVIDENCE
JOURNAL-BULLETIN.  Since RI-based Washington Trust Bancorp become
a sponsor of the URI women's basketball team, home attendance has
more than tripled.  Bank tellers "gave out tickets and schedules"
and the bank sponsored "workshops so students could meet coaches
and players."  The bank also ran radio and print ads telling fans
to "Enjoy a Night Out with the Girls."  Davis writes that from
America's Cup Mighty Mary, to the UConn women's basketball team,
"increasingly, corporate dollars are turning to women's sports in
search of new markets and company recognition."  Michelle Rau,
head of marketing at Washington Trust Bancorp cited the lack of
"clutter" in women's sports as an advantage (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL-
BULLETIN, 8/23).