Banner Graphic, Volume 5, Number 328, Greencastle, Putnam County, 27 March 1975 — Page 10

B2

THI PUTNAM COUNTY RANNIR-CRAPHIC, MARCH 27/M/1973

Pro sports expansion boom heading for bust?

NEW YORK (AP) - People used to say the sports expansion boom would end when it ran out of cities. But a funny thing is happening on the way to Europe, the Orient and Smallville, USA: The boom is going bust. For the most part, the incredible days of pro sports expansion appear over. Some teams may even disappear in the near future, victims of the deteriorating economy, dilution and overexposure. In the days before Wall St. replaced Flatbush Ave. as the capital of the sports world, there were fewer leagues, fewer teams and fewer problems.

Prefontaine: 'lf you're not a millionaire, there's no way

DENVER (AP) - “To hell with love of country,” says Steve Prefontaine, America’s best amateur distance runner. “I compete for myself.” Prefontaine said he’s so fed up with the treatment of American athletes that he’d change his citizenship tomorrow if given the chance. He described himself as an “internationalist.” “People say I should be running for a gold medal for the old red, white and blue and all that bull, but it’s not gonna be that way,” Prefontaine said in an interview. “I’m the one who has made all the sacrifices. Those are MY American records, not the country’s.” The 1974 graduate of the University of Oregon was sounding off about the plight of amateur athletes in the United States, who he said are at a financial disadvantage to those in the

. From "B" Width Narrow * To "EE" Width Wide MB IpCTP Sure We can fit your feet better i n [redwing I# 7 Moores Shoes South Side of Square

J^ ? / f„ '

The alternative to conventional small cars. How wide is Pacer? And speaking of wide, only Pacer is backed by the Wider than Nova. Wider even than Granada. wide, wide coverage of the exclusive AMC BUYER . , PROTECTION PLAN.' ts AMC s new Pacer is so wide, it gives you more front seat shoulder room than Duster or Maverick. So- if you’re lookingfor an alternative to conventional Plus: more leg room, front and rear, than the 2-door Dir AMCri Dealers ' CASTLE AMERICAN St. Rd. 43 North, Greencostle 653-9761

Ownership and profit margins were as constant as the New York Yankees winning the World Series. But times have changed. The Yankees haven’t won a World Series since 1962 and teams that were just starting or didn’t exist then now own “world” titles. The Mets won the World Series in 1969, Milwaukee won the National Basketball Association title in 1971 and Philadelphia of the National Hockey League won a Stanley Cup in 1974, Leagues that didn’t exist in 1962—the American Basketball Association, World Hockey Association and World Football

rest of the world. Prefontaine has run the distances between 3,000 and 10,000 meters faster than any other American. He just missed a bronze medal in the 1972 Olympic Games, despite being spiked and shoved around during the race. He’s been training in Colorado for a month, considering whether to compete for the United Statens in the 1976 Olympics at Montreal. He said it’s a tough decision because of the financial beating American Olympians have to take. “I’ll tell you, if I decide to compete at Montreal, to make all the sacrifices necessary, I’ll be a poor man. If you’re not a millionarie, there’s no way,” said Prefontaine, who’s been in trouble with the Amateur Athletic Union before over its regulations dealing with meets in which he would represent the United States.

bitrodudng the new AMCPacer... The tint wide small car.

League to name only a few—have been crowning champions and losing money. Since 1961 pro football has increased from 14 to 38 teams, hockey from 6 to 32, basketball from 9 to 28 and baseball from 16 to 24. And team sports have sprung up in tennis, soccer, track, lacrosse, boxing and volleyball, reflecting the interest in making a fast buck. But what is becoming undeniably clear is that there is only so much gold in them thar hills. And the inflationary rush of new teams and leagues combined with a recession has left some of these teams and leagues steeped in debt.

If he sounds bitter, he insists he’s not. “Not bitter, outraged,” Prefontaine said. “American athletes, especially distance runners, are at a big disadvantage against the rest of the world. We’re expected to live by all the rules, like not being able to coach, but still train and make our own living.” Right now, Prefontaine is representing a sports supply company, but he’s opening a bar and restaurant in his home town, Eugene, Ore. “Being a success in business, making some money, is the most important aspect of my life now,” he said. Then what about professional track? Prefontaine said he’s had good offers from the International Track Association, “but I don’t think they can offer me the kind of challenge I need to get ahead.”

Teams have folded in the ABA, the WHA, and in World Team Tennis. One league, the WFL, almost folded after losing S2O million in its first season. World Team Boxing, which said it would have 48 teams, began with four and has not been heard from since its first week when it suspended three of its four teams for non-payment of bills. Consolidation may also be the case in the ABA, another league that has been bathing in red ink since its inception. League president John Y. Brown advocates trimming the fat from the 10-team league by axing its weak sisters, Memphis and San Diego. “We’re in the entertainment business,” Brown says. “And people just won’t pay to see inferior products. Money is tight and you can’t expect people to pay and see us beat Memphis by 50 points.” In the boom of the ‘6os the key word was expansion. But with the threatened bust of the ‘7os the password may be contraction as teams and leagues grapple for a profitable share of a very competitive—and shrinking—sports dollar. “I think you will see teams disappearing in the near future,” says baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. “There has been too great overexpansion of sports.” Kuhn believes baseball is less affected by economic downturns because its tickets are cheaper than other major

Garrett named Boiler MVP by teammates

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) John Garrett, who guided Purdue’s basketball team to a 53-29 record and two post-season tournaments in his three years as a starter, is the choice of his teammates as Most Valuable Player. Garrett, 6-foot-ll senior center from Peru, Ind., leaves as the school’s fourth all-time leading scorer. In his final season, he led the team with a 19.8 scoring average, 10 rebounds per game and was tops in free throw and field goal percentages. Garrett will play in the Indian a-Ohio all-star series sponsored by Sertoma Charities, April 18-19 and the 7th annual Aloha Classic in Honolulu, April 10-12. Guard Dick Satterfield of Ha-

sports. He says “there could be expansion in the future, but the general economic picture has prompted our people to take a more careful look.” Baseball hasn’t expanded since adding four teams in 1969. The National Hockey League may add two more teams in the next two years, but there is a good chance those teams may simply be transferred from other cities. The NBA has postponed a planned expansion into Canada in 1975. There is talk of contraction in the World Hockey Association. One of the 1969 expansion teams in baseball, the San Diego Padres, made its first operating profit last year, only to find its climbing days weren’t over. The Padres paid $lO million just to join the National League. But that fee didn’t include the cost of buying player contracts from other teams, the development of a scouting organization from scratch, leasing a stadium and building spring training facilities. “It cost us at least another million in start-up costs that first year,” says Peter Bavasi, vice president and general manager of the Padres. “The second year was better because we didn’t have to buy the typewriters and office furniture again. “By then we were operating on a budget similar to the established clubs, except we were burdened by interest payments and the declining balance on

gerstown was also honored at Wednesday’s annual Boilermaker awards banquet with the Ward Lambert scholarship for profiency in academics and basketball. Satterfield, an all-Big Ten scholastic team selection, compiled a 5.96 grade average in the past academic year out of a possible 6.0. Satterfield thus becomes a finalist for Purdue’s Guy “Red” ,Mackey award—two SI,OOO postgraduate work awards given to the school’s top scholar-athletes each year in memory of the late athletic director. Freshman forward Wayne Walls, Jeffersonville, was named the team’s top defensive player for the season.

the $lO million entrance fee. You can make an operating profit on a yearly basis, but what about that $lO million plus interest? “You can become an established club on the field when you pencil in a competent lineup. But from an economic standpoint, you don’t become an established club until you’ve paid back all the obligations, all the burdens of getting into the league.” Bavasi sees future expansion teams having an even harder time. “The floating prime interest rate is much higher than it was seven years ago,” Bavasi says. “And you’ve got to couple that with skyrocketing costs in all areas. The franchise fee might be higher and the price of laundering a towel, cleaning a uniform and the daily meal allowance—to name just a few—will certainly be higher.” Bavasi also pointed out that a recent federal court decision in Atlanta, which may limit the depreciation allowance owners can deduct for players’ salaries and means less tax write-offs for the owners, could cause potential franchise buyers to have second thoughts. Added to all that are skyrocketing salaries and a decline in fan interest. A recent Louis Harris survey showed that fan interest in football dropped two percentage points since 1973, baseball lost four, basketball slipped two and hockey dropped six points. Of the 12 sports listed, only tennis and horse racing showed an increase in fan interest. Franchise costs also have skyrocketed. An American Football League franchise cost $25,000 in 1960. Tampa and

THREE DAY SALE

(fwifisjl SAT-N-HL'E INTERIOR L 0

I (COUPON SPECIAL MASKING TAPE inl Pi | 3/a " x 60'Ft\\3> iff | 89< WITH COUPON

frTjffiiit IJTEX f UT WALL F0 11

For walls and ceilings. Easy to apply. High hiding. Dries in 20 minutes. Soapy water clean-up. Pastel colors and white.

COUPON SPECIAL SILICONE SPRAY | f LUBRICANT j 4 OZ. CAN | “ 55* 1 WITH COUPON

You save money on Tru-Test Paints because we own two factories.

HEADLEY HARDWARE 814 Indianapolis Rood Grooncastle . . . . OponMon.-Fri. 8-8; Sat. 8-6; Sun. 12-5 Phono 653-3010

Seattle are paying sl6 million to join the NFL in 1976. An estimated 12 NFL teams lost money last year, including Washington and Philadelphia, which each lost around $500,000 while selling every ticket for every home game. In the NBA, entrance fees have risen from $2 million in 1968 to $3.7 million in 1970 and $6.15 million in 1974, when New Orleans joined. According to Larry Fleischer, counsel to the NBA Players’ Association, the

PUTNAM INN 2 NIGHTS OF DANCING Fri. & Sat., March 28 & 29 9:30—1:30 Dance to the Music of COLOR WHEEL BREAKFAST WILL BE SERVED AFTER l! || the SATURDAY NIGHT DANCE. Sit Back & Enjoy KAYSUTHERLIN Playing The Organ THURS. & SUN., MARCH 27 & 30 8 p.m. -11 p.m. Cocktails Smorgasbord Entertainment Putnam Inn

s MARCH 27 Thru 29 H»G a* COLORS * *7 4.X / OUR FINEST FLAT LATEX

T 99 " GAL. (Custom colors higher)

COUPON SPECIAL SPRAY SlSm: ENAMEL 13 OZ. White or Black 55* WITH COUPON

BETTER QUALITY 498 GAL. Custom colors higher

COUPON SPECIAL REG. 5-QT. £ PAINT PAIL |L Jj ; 55* pf I WITH COUPON

('ThuzVahh HARDWARE STORE

average salary in the league is SIOO,OOO. Those wages were one reason why only Milwaukee, New York, Boston and Los Angeles showed a profit after the 1973-74 season in the 17team NBA. Considering all that, it’s no wonder expansion has nearly stopped. “This is a bad time for expansion or the start of any business,” says Jim Bukata, an ABA official. “American Beef just closed its doors. No one has money.”

Perfect for all type walls and ceilings. Thick and creamy. N o n-drip . Leaves no lap-marks. Dries in 20 minutes. Soapy water clean-up. Scrubbable. 48 Decorator Colors and White.

r Hinsmni J

ELECTRIC PAINT SPRAYER Airless—fine work without air compressor. Adj. nozzle, 24-oz. jar. VS-862

FREE! "Let’s Live Color” decorating booklet, yours for the asking.