WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM FORM UNION: The U.S. Women's Soccer
Team has "agreed to form a union in an effort to protect
their legal rights and better their working conditions,"
according to Ellen Zavian of MSNBC.com. Philadelphia-based
attorney John Langel said the players "needed to form a
union now" in order to "seek protection under the National
Labor Act" (MSNBC.com, 9/14). In DC, Sally Jenkins writes
that the Sydney Games "are your last chance to see" the
women's soccer team, as "many of them will retire" from
int'l play. Jenkins: "They have influence, something that
can be said for few female athletes" (WASHINGTON POST,
9/17). In Philadelphia, Sam Donnellon: "[It's] reigning
women at these Olympics. ... How badly are men being
overshadowed? In an attempt to gain attention for its team,
a U.S. men's soccer press release calls one of its players
the male version of Brandi Chastain for his willingness to
rip off his shirt" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 9/18).
U.S. GAMES' EFFORTS: A U.S. General Accounting Office
report stated that U.S. taxpayers have spent $2B since '84
to "help prepare and stage" the Olympics in the U.S. U.S.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) "called much of the largesse,
including $1.3[B] headed to Salt Lake City, needless" (SALT
LAKE TRIBUNE, 9/16).....Dir of White House Drug Policy Barry
McCaffrey and other U.S. execs announced that the U.S. gov't
was "releasing" $3.3M "to finance the anti-doping program
leading up to" to the 2002 Games (N.Y. TIMES, 9/17). Reps
from U.S. cities seeking to host the 2012 Games will "meet
privately" with USOC officials today (DALLAS MORNING NEWS,
9/17)....With competition from the Games, this weekend was
the "lowest-grossing weekend overall" for motion pictures in
more than three years (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 9/18).
CROWDED IN SYDNEY: SOCOG organizers sold 65,000 tickets
Saturday. More than 85% of available tickets to the Games
have been sold, breaking the record set at Barcelona '92,
when 82.3% were sold (Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH, 9/18).
