The FL Dept. of Citrus has renewed its sponsorship with
     FL Citrus Sports (FCS) through 2002.  The four-year deal is
     worth $2.25M (FCS).  In Orlando, Jerry Jackson reports that
     the deal means FL Citrus will "remain a part of the CompUSA
     Florida Citrus Bowl for at least four more years."  The game
     will receive $525,000 from FL Citrus for its sponsorship in
     '99, and the price "will then rise $25,000 a year," to
     $600,000 in 2002.  The Dept. of Citrus, which has sponsored
     the game since '83, has "been divided" over whether to
     continue its sponsorships, but a majority of its
     commissioners felt that the game, on ABC, was a "good way to
     reach citrus consumers nationwide" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 1/22).

          Mattel is expected to announce an exclusive, multiyear
     licensing agreement with the NBA today, giving it worldwide
     rights to all NBA-themed toys and games, according to Lisa
     Bannon of the WALL STREET JOURNAL.  The deal is "expected to
     generate more than" $300M during the next five years. 
     Mattel said the deal, which includes rights to the WNBA and
     women's U.S. Olympic team, "will broaden" the company's toy
     and game market to include "new sports consumers, and new
     distribution channels, such as sporting-goods stores, sports
     arenas and sports-collectible stores."  Bannon reports the
     deal includes basketball-themed merchandise "across all
     Mattel toy categories," including Barbie, Sesame Street,
     Cabbage Patch, Hot Wheels and Matchbox.  The NBA will also
     include the Mattel merchandise at its flagship store in N.Y. 
     While Hasbro also is licensed to produce male action figures
     called Starting Lineup, the NBA portion of that license
     expires this summer.  NBA CMO Rick Welts said that it chose
     Mattel "because it will provide an established
     international-sales network as well as access to the growing
     girls' and women's market" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/22).

          An AD AGE editorial, on the "welcome reassessment" made
     by footwear companies relying on athletes as endorsers:
     "[T]his reexamination of the athlete endorser is an
     encouraging trend that could lead to a major shift in the
     marketing of athletic footwear.  It also sends strong
     signals that outrageous behavior will no longer be quietly
     tolerated by marketers, and that consumer concerns remain
     foremost in marketers' minds" (AD AGE, 1/19)....The AP
     reports that it is "not yet clear" if Chris Webber's arrest
     on Tuesday has jeopardized his shoe deal with Fila.  Fila
     spokesperson Meredith Geisler: "We're waiting to get all the
     facts from Chris and his representatives before making any
     decisions" (AP/N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/22)....New Nike VP/Global
     Sports Marketing Ian Todd, formerly with IMG, "stresses that
     his hiring is not a sign that Nike intends to take on IMG." 
     Todd: "We have no intention of competing with IMG and in
     fact hope to find some creative ways to work together in the
     years to come" (OREGONIAN, 1/21)...Avis will become the WTA
     Tour's "Primary Rental Car Supplier" in '98, and will supply
     tour players and personnel with discounted rates (WTA Tour).

          Walt Disney World recently asked Broncos coach Mike
     Shanahan whether he "would be willing to become the first
     NFL Coach to look into the camera and proclaim 'I'm going to
     Disney World'" should his team win the game, according to
     Adam Schefter of the DENVER POST.  Shanahan declined the
     offer, "even though he said Disney World was offering to pay
     him $30,000."  Shanahan: "I don't care how much they pay me,
     I'm not saying 'I'm going to Disney World.'"  So, Disney
     World "is thought to have lined up" six players, including
     Broncos John Elway and Terrell Davis, and Packers Brett
     Favre and Dorsey Levens.  If any of those players is named
     as the MVP of the game, "it is believed" he would be paid
     $30,000 to "look into the camera" and say the phrase. 
     Disney had no comment on the matter (DENVER POST, 1/22).
          SAN DIEGO NOTES: Nike "proved again this week" that
     "nobody is more opportunistic" in advertising when it
     outfitted the car which transported Terrell Davis to a pep
     rally in his honor at his old San Diego high school with a
     "giant swoosh," according to Luke Cyphers of the N.Y. DAILY
     NEWS.  A VW Beetle featured a Broncos helmet along with the
     swoosh when it burst through a paper banner.  The three-
     column, four-inch photo of the moment, which ran in
     yesterday's USA Today, "would run" $13,700 if purchased as
     an ad, but Cyphers writes Nike "didn't spend a dime on it"
     (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/22)....John Elway and Mike Shanahan have
     invested in a FL-based laundry superstore called Laundromax,
     which "hopes to do to the coin laundry industry what
     Blockbuster has done to video rentals."  Laundromax
     President & Founder Alan Haig "declined to say how much" the
     two had invested (Michele Conklin, ROCKY MOUNT. NEWS, 1/21).
          TARGETING WOMEN: With its Football 101 classes, an
     extensive line of women's clothing, flag-football leagues
     for both sexes and "even a cookbook, the NFL's so-called
     Women's Initiative is underway with positive results,"
     according to Diane Seo of the L.A. TIMES.  NFLP President
     Sara Levinson: "The reaction exceeded our expectations.  We
     knew we had a huge fan base of women out there.  The key was
     to tailor programs to get them even more involved" (L.A.
     TIMES, 1/22)....Dallas-based Promos Int'l, which designs and
     manufactures "naughty nighties" for the NFL and other pro
     leagues, was featured on "Extra."  Promos Int'l CEO Marvin
     Gooch: "Over 70% of all women purchase NFL merchandise. 
     That means that they purchase that either for themselves,
     their significant others or husbands or sons, but nothing
     was being manufactured for them" ("Extra," 1/21). 

          With viewership of Super Bowl XXXII projected at 140
     million, the advertising community "is anticipating the big
     game perhaps as much as" the Broncos and Packers, according
     to Eleftheria Phillips of ADWEEK.  The game "has become a
     media event like no other.  It represents not only the time
     of year when football fanatics and the sports-challenged can
     commingle in relative peace, but when the advertising
     industry, with an estimated 58 spots broadcast during the
     game, can revel in its own glory" (ADWEEK, 1/19).  George
     Rosenbaum, CEO of IL-based firm Leo J. Shapiro & Assoc:
     "There's no other way on TV or any other medium in which you
     can reach a bigger audience.  In one day you can make a
     giant imprint on the nation" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 1/21).
          WHAT'S NEW? AD AGE's Judann Pollack reports that
     packaged foods will "take a bigger bite of the ad time this
     year" (AD AGE, 1/19 issue).  In N.Y., Pat Winters Lauro
     wrote that the "big trend" this year is "a recognition that
     many women" watch the Super Bowl, as "traditionally 'female'
     advertisers [such] as Hormel chili, Tabasco sauce and Heinz
     ketchup" have bought time (DAILY NEWS, 1/18).  Nokia becomes
     the first wireless marketer to advertise on Super Sunday
     (BRANDWEEK, 1/19).  Reggie Jackson, Mickey Mantle and Babe
     Ruth will appear in the form of clay animation for Pepsi's
     Lipton Brisk.  Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner's voice and
     made-from-clay image also yells, "Your fired" in the spot
     (DAILY NEWS, 1/19).  USA TODAY's Dottie Enrico writes "One
     of 1998's biggest surprises could come from an unexpected
     advertiser: FedEx.  Industry insiders say the shipping giant
     and its agency BBDO New York have cooked up an imaginative
     way to show why customers should only use FedEx" (USA TODAY,
     1/19).  On MSNBC's "The Big Show," Enrico added, "Every year
     I think people want to see what Pepsi Cola is going to do.
     ... I've previewed most of the ads, and ... I've got to say
     that Pepsi's got a very interesting round this year" (MSNBC,
     1/20).  In DC, Eric Fisher wrote that few companies "were
     willing to go out on a limb" this year, as many ads "will
     rely on tried-and-true pop culture icons" such as Elvis, the
     Rolling Stones and Jerry Seinfeld (WASHINGTON TIMES, 1/21). 
     In Houston, Greg Hassell reported that the "high price" of
     $1.3M per 30-second spot "is driving some heavy-hitters out
     of this year's game."  Among them is McDonald's, which has
     been "among the biggest game-time advertisers in years
     past."  McDonald's execs said that "cost definitely is a
     factor in their decision" not to advertise this year.  The
     ad roster "has a distinctly high-tech ring to it," and
     Hassell wrote that the year's "most innovative ad" is from
     Intel, whose interactive ad allows fans to select the end of
     the spot via the Internet (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/21).   
          CAN THEY DO THAT? Nike will have one 60-second spot
     during the game's second quarter.  It features athletes such
     as Michael Johnson, Suzy Hamilton, Scottie Pippen, David
     Robinson, Terrell Davis, Ronaldo, Lisa Leslie and Gabrielle
     Reese -- all in the nude (Nike).  NBC execs "requested minor
     modifications in the commercial, involving shading," and
     Nike made them.  The ad is for Nike athletic apparel, and is
     "an attempt to dramatize" how it "is designed like an added
     layer of skin that can help people compete more effectively
     in a range of sports" (Skip Wollenberg, AP, 1/17).
          NOT ALL MAKE THE CUT: NBC "rejected a low-key" ad for
     CA-based Vivus Inc., a male impotence treatment, during the
     Super Bowl "because it was not 'suitable'" for the network,
     according to Kenneth Howe of the S.F. CHRONICLE.  NBC Sports
     VP/Information Ed Markey: "The standards people look at
     every commercial that comes in and determine whether it is
     suitable for a particular time period and show."  Bob
     Hoffman, President of S.F.-based agency Hoffman/Lewis, which
     created the spot: "NBC's rationale was that the ad was
     inappropriate for daytime viewing.  But just look at the
     talk shows and soap operas they air" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 1/21). 
     

          Atlantic Records and the CBA have formed a marketing
     partnership that calls for Atlantic artists to play at
     halftime during CBA games and to be included on a CBA/
     Atlantic compilation CD sold at the games, according to
     Patrick Reilly of the WALL STREET JOURNAL.  Only recordings
     by Atlantic artists will be played over the PA systems at
     CBA games, and Atlantic execs "will even play a part in
     hiring deejays for the arenas."  Atlantic GM Ron Shapiro:
     "At a time when it is so fiercely competitive and expensive
     to get our artists known to the consumer, we are looking for
     any way to enhance their visibility to any consumer who is a
     potential record buyer."  Reilly adds that the deal
     addresses Atlantic's "need to reach a young generation of
     music buyers with plenty of entertainment alternatives." 
     Atlantic co-Chair Val Azzoli said another positive is the
     fact that the CBA "is located in smaller cities."  Azzoli:
     "With this we are giving smaller markets the same kind of
     attention we give bigger cities.  Remember, kids are buying
     music out there" (Pat Reilly, WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/22).

          MA-based Woolf Associates announced the creation of
     Woolf Golf, a new division which will focus on corporate
     golf marketing programs, event management, TV packaging, and
     professional player representation.  Phil Sloan will be the
     Managing Dir of Woolf Golf and Diane Brickley, who most
     recently served as VP/Sales at the FleetCenter, has been
     named Exec Dir.  Brickley will manage the day-to-day
     operations of the new division (Woolf Associates).
          TALK ABOUT CALLING EARLY: In anticipation of the '99
     Ryder Cup at The Country Club in Brookline (MA), BankBoston
     has paid $500,000 "to reserve the entire" Charles River
     Country Club golf course 20 months in advance of the event,
     according to John Lauerman of the BOSTON GLOBE.  The bank is
     "just one of several" corporations trying to reserve courses
     in the Boston area so that corporate guests at the matches
     "can be assured of convenient tee times" when not watching
     the event.  In addition, Brookline is "trying to strike" a
     $3M deal with The Country Club for use of land for parking/
     hospitality tents during the Ryder Cup (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/18).
          CHIP SHOTS: GOLFWEEK's James Achenbach reports that
     Tiger Woods is now playing with his new Titleist irons.  He
     had been playing Mizunos.  In other equipment news, Bernhard
     Langer "is about to switch" from Wilson to Ping.  Bob Tway
     "also has returned" to Ping, while Cleveland Golf has
     "picked up" Frank Nobilo, who played for Mizuno last year. 
     Callaway has renewed its deal with Colin Montgomerie and
     Jesper Parnevik, and also signed Rocco Mediate, once a
     "rising star" for Titleist.  Montgomerie and Phil Mickelson,
     who recently re-signed with Yonex, will now wear hats or
     visors "when the television cameras are turned on." 
     Previously, "neither has been a headwear devotee."  Taylor
     Made, "standing pat" with its PGA Tour staff, has "added"
     the LPGA's Michelle McGann (GOLFWEEK, 1/17).  USA TODAY's
     Jerry Potter adds that Taylor Made is "trying to fit" its
     logo onto McGann's "trademark" hats (USA TODAY, 1/22).