Many media outlets review MLB's season and examine the state
of the game in the wake of the Yankees victory in the World
Series. In BUSINESS WEEK, David Leonhardt looks at the game
under the header, "Baseball's Slump is Far From Over."
Leonhardt: "A look at the economics of baseball shows that the
sport has actually recovered little since the strike." MLB
Enterprises President Greg Murphy plans to address MLB's
marketing plan, which is "unfocused." Murphy hopes to sign $500M
worth of partnerships with brand-name companies by the end of
'96. He will then build an international strategy, "reach out to
minority fans, and improve the league's in-house film unit"
(BUSINESS WEEK, 11/ issue). Murphy tells the BOSTON GLOBE's
Peter Gammons, MLB has more than $500M "lined up to be invested
as soon as there is a deal. ... Baseball has a long way to go,
but this September and the postseason has been a solid start. ...
This is a building process and it has begun." Gammons notes
Murphy has found the MLBPA "extraordinarily cooperative in his
efforts to market the players" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/27). Murphy's
efforts are featured in USA TODAY by Dottie Enrico. MLB
Enterprises will complete its first marketing survey over the
next months to pinpoint growth areas (USA TODAY, 10/28). In
Chicago, Bob Verdi writes, despite a successful postseason,
"baseball wobbles on, from an opulent October to a nervous
November" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/28). In Boston, Dan Shaughnessy:
"It's going to take more than these champion Yankees and this
wonderful World Series to make us feel good about the game again"
(BOSTON GLOBE, 10/28). "The Sports Reporters," Mike Lupica: "The
most lasting memories in sports are still from the World Series,
whether baseball is still the main event in this country or not"
("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 10/27). In San Francisco, Henry
Schulman: "The game -- finally -- seems headed in the right
direction" (S.F. EXAMINER, 10/27). ESPN's Gammons, on Saturday
night: "It was a magnificent night to cover baseball. Maybe the
best I've ever been in" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 10/26).
