The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER presents the first edition of
its series on entertainment entities and individuals who
have investments in sports, with Scott Hettrick reporting on
Disney's ownership of the Angels and Mighty Ducks. Anaheim
Sports President Tony Tavares said that "the misconception
that Disney is aggressively shopping" the Angels and Mighty
Ducks "makes it harder to attract talent or get fair value
for players it wants to trade." Tavares made the
distinction that while Disney "would listen to the right
offer, the company is not going out of its way to attract
buyers." Tavares also noted the "tough lessons" that Disney
learned about the sports business: "It's not the movie
business. You can't just promote it and people will come."
Disney Senior Exec VP Sandy Litvack admitted that team
ownership "is different from any of our other businesses,"
as "one of the biggest learning curves" has been operating
under a set of league rules. Litvack: "We have to learn to
operate within the rules. At times it's frustrating, sure.
But we've learned to operate." Tavares and Litvack said
that "any spike in revenue for the teams would have little
impact" on Disney's overall operations, just as reported net
losses of $5-8M for the Mighty Ducks this season and about
$20M for the Angels last season "barely register a blip on
the company's overall financial radar." Litvack, on the
Angels' overall impact on the company: "I don't care if they
win 162 games; it won't materially impact the financial
performance of the Walt Disney Co." Also in the issue, John
Burman profiles Producer Jerry Bruckheimer's hockey "two-
team mini-league," while Chris Gennusa profiles 25-year-old
AFL Avengers Owner Casey Wasserman, the "youngest person to
own a pro team" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 3/17 issue).
