In L.A., there are two different groups in the business of
attracting sports events, according to Tim Deady in the current
L.A. BUSINESS JOURNAL. But "the way things stand now, the
Southland could be heading into a fallow period when other
communities reap the tangible and not-so tangible benefits of
high profile sports events." David Simon, President of the L.A.
Sports Council, one group trying to attract events to the city,
says "right now we could be going into a down period." The
inactivity comes after a busy 11-year period which saw two Super
Bowls, an Olympics, and the World Cup. The other group is the
newly formed L.A. Sports and Entertainment Commission. The
Sports Council, formed in '88, "is a non-profit group that gets
its funds from members, similar to a chamber of commerce." The
Commission was formed earlier this year by the L.A. Convention &
Visitors Bureau, which funds the group with an annual
contribution of $400,000. Diane Hovenkamp, formerly of the
Orlando Area Sports Commission, is the Commission's full-time
President. Although the focuses differ slightly, both plan on
bidding for Super Bowl 2000. The Commission recently submitted
its first bid for a sports event -- the '98 NCAA men's basketball
Western Regionals. The Sports Council has bid for beach
volleyball trials of the '96 Games, MLB's 2002 All-Star Game, and
the '98 USA Track and Field Championships (L.A. BUSINESS JOURNAL,
9/24 issue).
