Pete Sampras helped dedicate five resurfaced tennis courts
in Miami yesterday. The courts are the first in a public park
made from recycled tennis shoes. People donated old shoes and
Nike spent $150,00 to redo the courts. The project is part "of a
larger program to improve facilities at the inner-city park"
(MIAMI HERALD, 10/5)....Since winning the AL West, sporting goods
and apparel stores throughout the Seattle region have reported
"brisk sales" of Mariners merchandise (Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE,
10/5).... MacGregor Sports and Fitness has signed an agreement in
principal to acquire all outstanding capital stock of Technical
Publishing Solutions, a MN-based company focused on document-
based information management systems (MacGregor)....Omnicomn
Group's TBWA Chiat/Day has dropped the L.A. Gear ad account after
one year. Billings weren't disclosed. Bob Kuperman, President
of Chiat/Day's L.A. office, said the decision was made because
L.A. Gear asked the agency to "look for ways to reduce its
compensation" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/5)....NHL Panthers'
opening night ticket print ads run with the tagline, "See Who's
Going to Throw Out the First Tooth" (MIAMI HERALD, 10/5)....Asics
Corp. announced it has posted a 2.05B yen consolidated net loss
for the first half of '95, more than the 1.21B yen loss of the
same time last year. The figure results from the "extraordinary
loss incurred by integration of its brands," and the shift of
production overseas (KYODO NEWS)....The AHL and Sher-Wood have
signed a marketing partnership that names Sher-Wood the Official
Stick of the AHL, sponsor of the AHL All-Star game, and title
sponsor of the AHL Sher-Wood Player of the Week award. Sher-Wood
will also produce licensed team logo hockey sticks for retail
trade (AHL).
