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<br /> LeisullikagftDigest March 31, 1986
<br /> Despitethe cancellation of their TV con
<br /> SPECTATOR SPORTS tracts, 7 post-season Bowl games could
<br /> continue. This last holiday, there were
<br /> 18 bowl games. This next year, TV rights
<br /> Baseball begins the season next week on will be set at $500,000 unless the NCAA
<br /> a hopeful note: there'll be no strike this committee has second thoughts.and comes
<br /> year. But other problems remain, of ris- up with better offer for TV/cable. The
<br /> ing salaries and declining attendance at NCAA committee meets April 9-11.
<br /> some franchises that threatens their abil-
<br /> ity to survive. Where pro football ,shares
<br /> TV revenues, and basketball players have — -- -- — ---- i
<br /> agreed to a salary cap in exchange for PUBLISHING
<br /> share of gross revenues, baseball is still
<br /> a bare knuckler battle. Some teams may
<br /> move, which would boost attendance. But
<br /> it's the salary wars that led 10 of the Five hard cover books sold more than one
<br /> 26 clubs to report operating losses two million copies last year, Publishers Week.-
<br /> seasons ago. ly reports, compared with only one in '84:
<br /> Iaccoca." It was also the top seller for
<br /> The teams need each other, but in the 10th 1985 at 1_5 million copies. Sales were
<br /> year since the "free agent' rule came into up in all categories, with adult hard cov-
<br /> effect, the owners' rule seems to be any- ers up more than 20%, and paperbacks up
<br /> thing goes. Cost of running a team is 13%. The leading fiction hard cover was
<br /> estimated at $20 million a year, which re- Jean Auel's 'The Mammoth Hunters,* third
<br /> quires about 2 million attendance. While in her series, which sold 1.47 million
<br /> the L.A. Dodgers can draw 3 million, the copies. Best-selling paperback was V.C.
<br /> Seattle Mariners draw 1 million, and have Andrews' "Seeds of Yesterday," which sold
<br /> less TV revenue. 3.5 million copies.
<br /> OthBaseball overall is in good shape; since top sellers last year included James
<br /> 1976, attendance has climbed 50% and rev- Michener's "Texas,' 1.37 million, and Gar-
<br /> enues more than tripled, to $625 million, rison Keillor's "Lake Wobegon Days,' 1.1
<br /> with an expectation they'll hit $850 mil- million. Non-fiction's best was "Yeager-
<br /> lion two years from now. One element that An Autobiography," at one million, and
<br /> keeps five teams going: broadcasters and "Elvis and Me," 800,000 copies.
<br /> cable TV companies have a direct stake. * * * * * * *
<br /> South Korea hasn't signed either of two
<br /> Pro football training doesn't begin for international copyright agreements, so
<br /> a while, but already financial losses are pirating of books, records or videos in
<br /> predicted for half of the 28 National Foot- the country is not yet illegal. But in
<br /> ball League teams. Four teams lost money a significant move of recent weeks, sev-
<br /> in the 1984 season; but 7 lost money last eral publishers there have negotiated
<br /> year. Here, too, salary escalation seems contracts or signed contracts to pay roy-
<br /> to be the culprit, according to the NFL alties for books by Alvin Toffler, Norman
<br /> Management Council. That, and the end of Mailer, Ken Follett, Leo Buscaglia, and
<br /> TV contracts, which are under renegotia- others (NY Times 3/19) . Pressures have
<br /> tion. Player costs last season averaged come from Seoul's desire not to antagon-
<br /> $15.3 million a team, and TV revenue per ize the U.S. as it introduces its Excel
<br /> team averaged $16.2 million. auto and gears up for the 1988 Summer
<br /> Olympic Games.
<br /> But salaries increased 20% last year, and
<br /> another 16% hike is anticipated this year A recent study showed South Korea, Singa-
<br /> which would bring salary average to about pore and Taiwan as the leading countries
<br /> $235,000. Four years ago, the average in book piracy. Losses of $1 billion a
<br /> was $90,000. The NFL is not settling year in English-language books is 75% out
<br /> suit with U.S. Football League, but has of American royalties; that figure exceeds
<br /> scheduled an Aug. 3 game at London's total exports for 1984 by $110 million.
<br /> Wembley Stadium between Chicago Bears and Korea has almost 2,400 registered publish-
<br /> Dallas Cowboys. ers.
<br /> * * * * * * * *
<br /> Print media purchases have rivaled elec-
<br /> The USFL, which switched from spring to tronic buys in the past year. When Gan-
<br /> fall season this year, is down to 7 teams nett completed its purchase of the Evening
<br /> but plans schedule and hopes to replace News Association in Detroit for $717 mil-
<br /> Baltimore team that dropped out last lion, the expanding company owned 91 ne
<br /> month. papers, 8 tv stations, and 15 radio sta�
<br /> tions. Earnings for this year are estixi
<br /> ted at $3.85 a share compared to $3.15 of
<br />
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