A new MBA elective course, titled "The Business and
     Economics of the Sports Industry," is the "hottest ticket"
     at the Univ. of Chicago.  Topics include "Franchise
     Movement," "Pay and Performance" and "Labor Relations" (WALL
     STREET JOURNAL, 1/8)....Jon Bain, who founded Run N' Shoot
     health clubs, was profiled by Eleena De Lisser in the WALL
     STREET JOURNAL.  The gyms are 78,000-square-feet, "nearly
     eight times bigger than the average health club," and open
     24 hours a day.  Customers also pay by the visit.  Bain
     hopes to raise $5M to expand the concept to other cities and
     has hired former Family Golf Centers exec Michael Kelly to
     help find investors (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/7)....Millennium
     Entertainment Group, which has partnered with the NFLPA on
     the Players' Grill restaurant in Orlando, is profiled in the
     ORLANDO BUSINESS JOURNAL.  The licensing deal with Players
     Inc stipulates that the restaurant's bar will be the
     "exclusive showplace" for NFL player memorabilia in 12
     separate areas across the country (ORLANDO BUSINESS, 1/5). 

          The biggest crowd "so far" at the U.S. Figure Skating
     Championships held at the CoreStates Center was last night's
     6,453, but "neither the local organizing committee nor
     CoreStates people are concerned," according to Edward Moran
     of the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS.  CoreStates Complex
     President Peter Luukko said "he expects the final total
     attendance to be the largest ever" for the event, topping
     the record of 114,444 in San Jose in '96.  He added that
     bigger crowds are expected for the Men's and Ladies' finals,
     which are tonight and Saturday night (DAILY NEWS, 1/8).  
          TALK SOUP: Campbell's has "cooked itself into a mini-
     controversy" by announcing it will feature U.S. champions
     Tara Lipinski, Michelle Kwan and Nicole Bobek on 140 million
     soup can labels and TV spots to run during the Nagano Games. 
     While Lipinski and Kwan "are sure things" for the Games, the
     third spot will be decided today and Saturday at the
     Championships.  Challenger Tonia Kwiatowski: "Anything can
     happen in skating, and you never know what.  So, for them to
     announce that, that's their choice.  But let's see if I can
     mix things up" (Phil Rosenthal, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 1/8).
          TWO STARS: Kwan and Lipinski are featured in THE NEW
     YORKER by John Seabrook, who writes the two "seem prepared
     for ice-princesshood in ways that Nancy Kerrigan and Oksana
     Baiul did not.  Both are named after mass-culture
     commodities -- Michelle for the Beatles song, Tara for the
     plantation in 'Gone with the Wind'" (NEW YORKER, 1/12).

          LL Cool J, Tyra Banks, Summer Sanders, Salt-n-Pepa and
     Brandy are among the headliners for the NBA TeamUp
     Celebration, scheduled for February 7 as part of the NBA
     All-Star Weekend.  The one-hour special will be hosted by
     Ahmad Rashad and Willow Bay at MSG and will be simulcast on
     seven networks - NBC, TNT, Nickelodeon, BET, Telemundo, and
     MSG in the U.S, as well as YTV in Canada (NBA).
          SOUNDS CLEAR TO US: Sony will sponsor the Million
     Dollar Shot during All-Star Weekend.  The Sony MD Million
     Dollar Shot will be offered to the grand-prize winner of an
     in-store promo this month at 14 New York metropolitan area
     Ciruit City stores, and will be televised live on TNT and
     TSN as part of All-Star Saturday night (NBA).