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Leagues and Governing Bodies

CNN/SI'S MACMULLAN TALKS STATE OF THE GAME WITH NBA'S STERN

          NBA Commissioner David Stern was interviewed by
     CNN/SI's Jackie MacMullan.  Among topics covered: 
          ON NBA PERSONNEL BEHAVIOR: Stern said that NBA player
     and personnel behavior was addressed at the recently
     concluded league meetings in Orlando: "We thought it was an
     interesting time to emphasize to all of the NBA family that
     by their speech and their conduct they have an opportunity
     to do some enormous harm as well as good.  I think we as a
     league tried to deal with that this past year."  STERN, ON
     POSSIBLE EXPANSION: "[W]e really want to digest our Canadian
     teams --to allow them to bulk up competitively, allow the
     arenas that are under construction or planned to get built,
     and generally make sure that our league is healthy. ...
     There is no groundswell of any kind for expansion at this
     time."  ON THE REFEREE INVESTIGATIONS: MacMullan asked Stern
     about the resignations of NBA referees after they reached a
     plea agreement in their case of federal tax evasion. 
     MacMullan: "These officials had to resign because it was in
     their [CBA] that if they pleaded guilty to a federal offense
     they had to resign from the NBA.  Was there any talk at all
     about maybe suspending these guys for a year or some other
     alternative punishment?"  Stern: "I don't remember the
     details ... but I do know that there was an agreement, a
     consensus as it were, between us and those particular
     officials that it would be best at the present time if they,
     having pleaded guilty to a felony, resign.  That does not
     necessarily deal with the issue of all time, of what happens
     to them forever, but I think that we're at the right place
     right now."  Asked then if there was a chance that resigning
     ref Jess Kersey could referee in the NBA again, Stern said,
     "You know, it hasn't been addressed yet" (CNNSI.com, 9/22).
          LAPCHICK'S ROLE: In Boston, Peter May profiles Richard
     Lapchick, Dir of Center for the Study of Sports in Society,
     who spoke on the subject of race for 20 minutes, "three
     times longer than anyone else," at the NBA league meetings
     in Orlando.  May: "As a result of his speech and the
     league's commitment to better bridging the racial gap, the
     NBA will start diversity workshops for its 600 league office
     employees in November.  Individual teams are being
     encouraged to do the same after that" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/24).
          LOOKING FOR THE ANSWER: In Philadelphia, Phil Jasner
     reports that the 76ers' Allen Iverson "met individually"
     with NBA Commissioner David Stern, Dep. Commis. Russ Granik,
     and VP/Security Horace Balmer last month after his August 3
     arrest and subsequent hearing (PHILA. DAILY NEWS, 9/24).
          KUDOS FOR STERN: In DC, Tony Kornheiser writes that
     Commissioner Stern "understands that the last frontier in
     professional sports is women.  And he's openly courting
     them. ... The referee issue is a materstroke.  Putting women
     refs in the NBA not only gives the NBA political correctness
     points, but it might help soften the increasingly edgy image
     of the league" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/24). 
          CBA TALK: ESPN's David Aldridge, on the league
     reopening the CBA after this season: "[O]wners definitely
     will reopen this collective bargaining agreement.  They're
     terrified of things like Kevin Garnett turning down $100
     million.  They can't see any way they can continue to pay
     eight to ten percent increases to the superstar players
     every year.  I think the union also wants to fix this thing,
     get some more money to the veteran players somehow, without
     hurting the young players who have established themselves or
     proved themselves"  ("NBA Today," ESPN, 9/23).

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