LITTLE LEAGUE SPONSORS LOOK TO GET THEM WHILE THEIR YOUNG

          The increased marketing and media support of Little
     League baseball is examined by Lisa Brownlee of the WALL
     STREET JOURNAL.  ESPN2 recently "bought the rights to
     expanded coverage of Little League games," what ESPN
     VP/Programming Steve Risser calls "really good television."
     ABC's Little League World Series last year earned an average
     rating of 0.9, more than 440,000 households, and among the
     companies scheduled to advertise during this year's telecast 
     include Honda, Pizza Hut, Hershey and Nike, while Sony,
     PepsiCo and General Mills will advertise on ESPN2's
     telecasts.  Brownlee also notes the first issue of "Little
     League" magazine, which is backed by MLB, includes Fox
     Sports, Gatorade, Denny's, Toys 'R' Us, Nintendo and Honda
     as inaugural advertisers.  The companies spent $45,000 for
     full-page ads and "about" $73,000 for "two-page spreads in
     the 50-page publication" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/12).