In Philadelphia, DAILY NEWS sports editor Debbie
     Woodell contributes an op-ed in the DAILY NEWS and writes,
     "[S]avvy business people in the basketball business are
     recognizing the importance of including lesbians among their
     growing legion of fans."  Woodell notes that the ABL Rage
     other teams in the league have taken out ads in gay
     publications.  Woodell: "Frankly, we're not excited about
     being courted because it helps us promote some lesbian
     'agenda.' No, this is something more simple.  It's merely
     nice to be wanted.  So far, I haven't felt that sense of
     welcome being extended by the more powerful, more deeply
     pocketed Women's NBA. ... Nor has such hospitality emerged
     from the college ranks" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 1/6).
          FIGURE SKATING: With the U.S. National Figure Skating
     Championships in Philadelphia this week, the sport's
     popularity is profiled by Jere Longman of the N.Y. TIMES. 
     The rivalry between Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan took
     figure skating "from sport to soap opera and [launched] it
     like a triple axel into popular culture.  The result was a
     larger male audience and television ratings that began to
     challenge the supremacy of professional football."  There
     were reports, denied by Fox, that the network tried to
     arrange a Harding-Kerrigan rematch (N.Y. TIMES, 1/6).  

          The National Lacrosse League (NLL) debuted on January 3
     and Sal Maiorana of the Rochester DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE wrote
     that it is "strong and exciting ... with a solid framework
     and plenty of room and ability to grow, thus bringing
     normalcy to a sport that has been on the brink of madness
     for years."  All seven NLL teams are individually owned,
     with each owner responsible for "all aspects of his team's
     business," including ticket sales, PR, advertising and
     marketing, drafting and signing players and arranging
     transportation and housing.  Players are paid anywhere from
     $350 per game (rookie scale) to as much as $1,100 per game. 
     The NLL has set up an office at Marine Midland Arena in
     Buffalo led by Commissioner Jon Livsey.  There will also be
     "at least" a game of the week telecast on three separate
     RSNs -- Empire in NY, HTS in MD and Comcast in Philadelphia,
     and Maiorana added that ESPN "is interested in televising
     playoff games" (Rochester DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 1/1).
          WEB WARE: The NLL debuted its official website at be-
     lax.com, designed by NY-based Web Technologies (NLL).

          While negotiators for the NFL and NFLPA have been
     working to extend the current CBA which expires in 2002,
     "several key differences have slowed negotiations
     dramatically in recent days," according to Mike Freeman of
     the N.Y. TIMES.  Several officials estimated that the
     chances of reaching a deal in the next few weeks were 50-50.

     The league "would like" a CBA extension before agreeing to a
     new TV deal.  According to officials, there are "two major
     sticking points" between the league and its players.  The
     union is looking to "get rid" of the "franchise player"
     designation which "is typically used by teams on their best
     player."  That player is then guaranteed the average salary
     of the top five at his position.  If a team loses its
     "franchise player," it receives two No. 1 draft picks as
     compensation.  Freeman: "Some agents and players despise the
     rule, feeling it limits a player's freedom and salary."  But
     an "even bigger problem" that has come up during
     negotiations is that the union "wants teams to guarantee the
     first year of player salaries, which would be unprecedented"
     in the NFL.  Freeman: "There is little chance that ownership
     will approve either proposal, which has led to the
     stalemate."  Freeman adds that negotiations between the two
     sides will continue in the coming days (N.Y. TIMES, 1/6).