NIKE NEWS: Wizards F Chris Webber, on his former
relationship with Nike: "I don't want to just downgrade
Nike, they are a great company. They did a lot for me. ...
Fila's a great company, they gave me a great shoe, and they
helped me do it my way" ("Up Close," ESPN, 10/28)....In
BRANDWEEK, Benezra & Stanley write that former Nike ad chief
Scott Bedbury thinks the company might be "courting
disaster" unless it deals with questions over conditions in
its manufacturing plants overseas (BRANDWEEK, 10/27 issue).
GENERAL: USA Baseball extended its exclusive license
with CA-based Fotoball Sports through the 2000 Olympic Games
in Sydney, Australia. The license will include souvenir
novelty baseballs and lapel pins (USA Baseball)....Merkley
Newman Harty, NY, part of Omnicom Group, will be the first
agency to develop national marketing and advertising
strategy for the Nat'l Thoroughbred Racing Assn. Billings
were "estimated" at $12-15M (N.Y. TIMES, 10/28)....Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. named Steve Elkington to its "Team
Schwab" of pro athletes (Charles Schwab)....Gold Medal
Management extended its representation agreement with Dan
O'Brien through 2001 (Gold Medal Management)....Despite
resigning a month ago, former ASU Basketball Coach Bill
Frieder "will continue to star" in TV ads for Bank One with
Univ. of AZ Coach Lute Olson (AZ REPUBLIC, 10/29).
