AMERICAN DEMOGRAPHICS ANALYZES THE FUTURE OF BASEBALL

     In a piece evaluating the state of MLB, Shannon Dortch of
AMERICAN DEMOGRAPHICS concludes owners and players have "opted
for short-term profits at the expense of long-term brand equity"
and that teams now see attracting fans to games as a "second-
place priority."  Dortch cites recent attendance figures,
discouraging fan polls and the rising costs of attending a
ballgame as some of the reasons that "after 160 years on top of
the sports world, baseball is in danger of becoming America's ex-
national pastime."  Dortch predicts while 23 million adults aged
18+ will attend games in '96, the "greatest growth" in attendance
through 2010 will be among the middle-aged, as the "huge baby-
boom generation moves into those age groups."  Dortch:  "Middle-
aged fans will dominate baseball crowds well into the next
century.  So if you're sick of the ubiquitous riff, 'We will, we
will rock you,' bring earplugs.  It's likely to continue"
(AMERICAN DEMOGRAPHICS, 4/96 issue).