The '97 World Championships of Beach Volleyball runs
today through Saturday at the L.A. Tennis Center at UCLA.
Presenting sponsor Ericsson will team with Nike Sports
Entertainment (NSE) and Leonard Armato's Management Plus
Enterprises to produce the event (THE DAILY). The event is
the first volleyball competition in history to have the
participation of the FIVB, AVP, WPVA, and the men's and
women's four man professional leagues (Nike). In L.A., Mike
Penner writes Nike "brokered this four-day truce," between
the FIVB and AVP, and interrupting the ongoing "struggle" and
bringing "these rival factions into the same event ... was
the real artistry and finesse of the deal." AVP's Jerry
Solomon: "I would love to see our sport do something similar
to what golf and tennis have done -- where the governing
bodies control the Olympics, the Grand Slams and some kind of
team cup competition, and the tour dictates the rest of the
calendar year" (L.A. TIMES, 9/10). The final will air taped-
delayed on NBC this Sunday from 4:00-6:00 pm ET (Nike). One
L.A. resident will win a chance to take the Ericsson "Million
Dollar Mega Serve" during the volleyball finals (Ericsson).
