ESPN's Bill Conlin, on sweatshop allegations against Nike:
"Let's be real. Every athletic shoe that's out there with a big
name label on it is made is some Third World country by underpaid
labor. It's not just Nike." Tony Kornheiser: "The leagues,
particularly the [NBA], which is the one league which basically
says your way up and out of poverty is through basketball, ought
to get together and move those factories to America and deal with
impoverished youth in America" ("Sports Reporters,"
6/16)....Sales of tennis racquets and balls have increased in
each of the last two quarters, according to the Tennis Industry
Association. This marks the first time in almost four years that
sales of both racquets and balls rose in consecutive quarters
(TIA). ....Cross-marketing between sports and Hollywood is
examined in this week's BUSINESS WEEK. The team in "Eddie" wears
Knicks uniforms thanks to a deal with the NBA, and talent from
ESPN appears in promos for "The Rock" (BUSINESS WEEK, 6/24
issue)....Adcom Investors, the holding company that owns N.W.
Ayer & Partners, is "in talks" to sell to D'Arcy Masius Benton &
Bowles. DMB&B is America's oldest ad agency (WALL STREET
JOURNAL, 6/17)...."Extra" covered the MTV "House of Style" photo
shoot with Dennis Rodman and Cindy Crawford and noted the
marketing of Rodman. Reporter Shelley Smith: "Somebody got to
him and said, 'Look, you can cash in on this and here's what you
do.' And he started playing the role, too, and liked it"
("Extra," 6/14).
