NFLPA's Players Inc will assist Pop Warner's kick-off
efforts to expand football involvement by young people.
Players Inc will grant two, $5,000 scholarships for academic
excellence each year and launch the "Pros for Pop Warner"
Campaign, a program that will see active NFL players assist
the Pop Warner program and expand its reach (Players Inc).
....The NHL has established the A.S.S.I.S.T. program --
Assist Skaters & Shooters In Succeeding Together -- to
benefit under-funded youth hockey programs worldwide. NHL
A.S.S.I.S.T. will annually award a total of $100,000 to needy
youth programs (NHL)....Tennis Canada announced that
Mercedes-Benz Canada will donate $7,500 from a fundraising
initiative at the '97 du Maurier Open tennis championship to
the Junior Nationals tennis program (Tennis Canada)....NC-
based Sports Marketing Enterprises announced that CA-based
Viking Cue has joined the Camel Pro Billiards Series as
sponsor of the $2,500 Viking Sportsmanship Award (Sports
Marketing Ent.)....In a special report on the state of the
golf industry, the L.A. TIMES' John Weyler reported that the
number of golfers in the U.S. "has hovered" between 24-25
million, but that sales of golf clubs "were up 11.4%" from
June '96 to June '97, according to Golf Retailers Magazine.
Sales of rainwear increased 21.7%, golf gloves 12.8%, and
golf socks were up 13.2%. Accessories were up 33.7%, with
"high-priced belts" a "driving force" (L.A. TIMES, 10,31).
