League Notes
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EPL Attendances Sag With Manchester United
Yet To Post A Sellout This Season |
In London, Rory Smith noted at English Premier League (EPL) games this season, attendance is "falling, tickets going unsold." As of last Thursday night, none of the weekend's EPL matches were sold out, and tickets to yesterday's "high-profile" Arsenal-Chelsea game were still available. Manchester United this season is "yet to sell out Old Trafford," with their highest attendance thus far "some 1,000 short of the stadium's 76,180 capacity." Meanwhile, more than half of EPL clubs have "seen the number of fans passing through the turnstiles fall," including Newcastle United, Sunderland, Everton, West Ham United, Blackburn and Wigan. In response, EPL clubs are "cutting ticket prices across the board," and "high-level talks are also ongoing in an attempt to secure discounted fares for travelling supporters to bolster" attendance at away games (London TELEGRAPH, 11/28).
KEPT CONFIDENTIAL: In N.Y., Michael Schmidt noted MLB last week "in response to a recommendation from" former U.S. Sen George Mitchell had said that the "number of players who tested positive for amphetamines for the first time in 2008 would be made public in a report on its drug-testing program to be released in January." But on Thursday, MLB said that the number of positive amphetamine tests "would not be included in the report." MLB Exec VP/Labor Relations Rob Manfred: "Under our program, first-time positive tests for amphetamines are treated as confidential, and because of that, those numbers will be kept private." MLB officials said that a "misunderstanding in their office regarding the drug-testing policy led to the conflicting reports" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/28).
INSTANT FIX: In Toronto, Chris Zelkovich writes if the NFL's instant replay system is a "necessary evil, then surely an organization as successful as the NFL can find a better way to do it." Zelkovich notes six minutes and 21 seconds were "spent on reviewing two plays" during an 11-minute period during yesterday's Giants-Redskins game. Meanwhile, during Saturday night's Oklahoma-Oklahoma State football game, a play "was reviewed in 76 seconds." Zelkovich: "It takes NFL officials that long just to stick their heads into the replay camera" (TORONTO STAR, 12/1).
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