POWER PLAYERS: In N.Y., gossip columnist Neal Travis
writes that former USA Network CEO Kay Koplovitz is "being
considered" for the position of MLB Commissioner, and that
"more than a few owners have her name at the top of their
lists." Travis: "It makes sense. She is a baseball nut who
knows how to wring profits and popularity out of the most
unlikely sources" (N.Y. POST, 5/13)....In L.A., Randy Harvey
wrote that Michael Ovitz is "aggressively courting the NFL
for his proposed new stadium in Carson, having invited
himself to a meeting" yesterday in New York with the league
execs. Harvey: "It's not clear how many will give him an
audience. They are flattered by his interest, but some
believe he's moving too fast" (L.A. TIMES, 5/12).
NHL: In Ottawa, trade attorney Barry Appleton appeared
before the House of Commons subcommittee studying sport in
Canada and said that subsidies for U.S.-based NHL teams are
in violation of NAFTA and that "provisions covering
investment may eventually lead to the U.S. government
compensating Canadian teams more than" $100M due to such
subsidies (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 5/13). In Toronto, a STAR
editorial titled "Don't Subsidize NHL" states that
Commissioner Gary Bettman's call for governmental assistance
for Canadian teams "is about as close to a political corpse
as you'll get" (TORONTO STAR, 5/13)....Also in Toronto,
David Naylor examines the newly-formed NHL Fan Association.
The group has signed up "roughly" 600 members so far since
the launch of www.nhlfa.com, and starting this fall, it
plans to conduct twice-a-year surveys called The Fan Report,
and present them to the NHL (GLOBE & MAIL, 5/13).
