BUSINESS WEEK profiles the inaugural year of MLS, noting
that AT&T, Anheuser-Busch, Kellogg and Nike are each paying up to
$2M a year for sponsorship rights, with a deal with Fuji expected
soon. Clarion Performance Properties Senior VP Gordon Kane, on
MLS' league ownership structure: "It can work -- as long as you
keep the egos in check" (BUSINESS WEEK, 1/29 issue). Foxboro
Stadium will host the '96 MLS Championship on October 20
(MLS)....The PGA Tour announced that the '97 Tour Championship
will be played at Houston's Champions Golf Club (HOUSTON
CHRONICLE, 1/20).... The NBA announced plans for a league-wide
program to combat youth violence. The NBA and its 29 teams will
host "conflict resolution workshops" for educators in NBA cities
(NBA)....CFL teams face a January 31 deadline to decide whether
they are in or out for the '96 season. Added to the league's
troubled U.S. franchises are the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' financial
problems and Calgary Stampeders Owner Larry Ryckman's recent
censure by the Alberta Securities Commission. Columnist Stephen
Brunt writes, "This business is broken, perhaps irretrievably"
(GLOBE & MAIL, 1/20).... In addition to the Carolina Monarchs'
crowd of 16,224 on Saturday (the 2nd highest attendance figure in
AHL history and the largest ever in an AHL arena), three other
AHL teams drew crowds over 10,000 last weekend (AHL).